Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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1.
Ronald Acuna Jr.
CF,RF
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.
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13.
Freddie Freeman
1B
Although there were questions about Freeman's 2021 season because of his battle with COVID-19 prior to the season, those questions were answered and then some. The statcast leaderboard is littered with Freeman's name, as he ranked in the top nine percent of the league in barrel rate, average exit velocity, expected batting average, expected slugging percentage, wOBA, xwOBA, xwOBAcon, hard hit percentage, strikeout percentage, and walk percentage. Freeman likely won't reach double digits in steals, but that is about the only negative thing you can say about his fantasy outlook. He's as safe as they come in the other four hitting categories, and comes with next to no risk. He'll likely cost a borderline first round pick on draft day, but he is worth it.
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32.
Ozzie Albies
2B
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88.
Max Fried
SP
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126.
Charlie Morton
SP
Morton's 2020 numbers were poor, without question. He was limited to just 38 regular season innings because of a shoulder injury, and pitched to a 4.74 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. His velocity was way down early in the season (when he got hit hard) and trickled up after he returned, but he got back to his normal 95 MPH fastball in the postseason and totaled a 2.70 ERA. Now 37 and with the Braves, the question is whether fantasy managers can write off Morton's down 2020 season considering his sterling post-season, or whether his age and injury history means they should avoid him. In reality, the answer is neither. Morton should still have gas left in the tank considering his playoff run, but should only be drafted as a value, meaning no earlier than a low-end SP3. Grab him there, at which point the risk-reward balance should reach an equilibrium.
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131.
Dansby Swanson
SS
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151.
Ian Anderson
SP
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160.
Travis d'Arnaud
C
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167.
Mike Soroka
SP
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219.
Austin Riley
LF
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294.
Drew Smyly
SP
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306.
Chris Martin
RP
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385.
Will Smith
RP
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433.
Cristian Pache
LF
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450.
Tyler Matzek
SP
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470.
Kyle Wright
SP
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562.
Bryse Wilson
SP
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572.
A.J. Minter
RP
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