Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Zac Gallen Note
	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. 3 days ago

Ketel Marte Note
	78. 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. 3 days ago

Christian Walker Note
	168. Christian Walker 1B,DH

Eduardo Escobar Note
	218. Eduardo Escobar 3B

Kole Calhoun Note
	231. Kole Calhoun RF

David Peralta Note
	242. 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. 3 days ago

Daulton Varsho Note
	247. Daulton Varsho C,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. 3 days ago

Joakim Soria Note
	293. 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. 3 days ago

Carson Kelly Note
	298. Carson Kelly C

Stefan Crichton Note
	340. 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. 3 days ago

Madison Bumgarner Note
	341. Madison Bumgarner SP

Nick Ahmed Note
	349. Nick Ahmed SS

Caleb Smith Note
	354. Caleb Smith SP

Luke Weaver Note
	393. Luke Weaver SP

Merrill Kelly Note
	462. Merrill Kelly SP

Tyler Clippard Note
	575. Tyler Clippard RP

Asdrubal Cabrera Note
	613. Asdrubal Cabrera 1B,3B,DH

Josh Rojas Note
	627. Josh Rojas 2B

Kevin Ginkel Note
	644. Kevin Ginkel RP

Corbin Martin Note
	653. Corbin Martin SP

Taylor Widener Note
	654. Taylor Widener RP

Tim Locastro Note
	695. Tim Locastro CF

Alex Young Note
	711. Alex Young SP,RP

Pavin Smith Note
	731. Pavin Smith 1B

Stephen Vogt Note
	845. Stephen Vogt C

Humberto Mejia Note
	909. Humberto Mejia SP

Chris Devenski Note
	996. Chris Devenski RP

Ben Heller Note
	1000. Ben Heller RP

Riley Smith Note
	1001. Riley Smith RP

Ryan Buchter Note
	1003. Ryan Buchter RP

J.B. Bukauskas Note
	1004. J.B. Bukauskas SP

Matt Peacock Note
	1034. Matt Peacock SP

Taylor Clarke Note
	1035. Taylor Clarke SP,RP

Humberto Castellanos Note
	1116. Humberto Castellanos RP

Jeremy Beasley Note
	1136. Jeremy Beasley RP

Joe Mantiply Note
	1139. Joe Mantiply RP

Taylor Guilbeau Note
	1178. Taylor Guilbeau RP

Keury Mella Note
	1194. Keury Mella RP

Yoan Lopez Note
	1205. Yoan Lopez RP

Jon Duplantier Note
	1246. Jon Duplantier RP

Wyatt Mathisen Note
	1355. Wyatt Mathisen 3B

Andy Young Note
	1371. Andy Young 2B

Seth Beer Note
	1374. Seth Beer 1B

Stuart Fairchild Note
	1434. Stuart Fairchild CF

Trayce Thompson Note
	1483. Trayce Thompson LF

Domingo Leyba Note
	1509. Domingo Leyba 2B