Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2020 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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45.
Luis Castillo
SP
Regression just never really hit for Castillo last year, despite a walk rate of 10.1%, fourth-worst in the league among qualified pitchers. There's no doubting Castillo's stuff, particularly his devastating changeup, and the Reds should be more competitive than they have been in years. But he simply has to cut down on the free passes if he wants to build on his breakout 2019. There's every reason to think he will as he continue to grow as a pitcher, and should make a reliable second fantasy starter.
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62.
Eugenio Suarez
3B
Few hitters benefited as much from the postponement of the season as did Suarez, whose shoulder woes made his availability for Opening Day questionable. He'll now likely be at or close to full strength when the season begins. Whether he can repeat his near-50 homer performance is another question (he likely can't), but you should draft him as you would few to no health concerns.
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76.
Nick Castellanos
LF,RF
Castellanos' numbers were continually deflated batting in the middle of a bad Tigers lineup and in a home park that greatly depressed power numbers. A move to Cincinnati should be just what the doctor ordered, and allow Castellanos to continue to build on his monster finish with the Cubs last year. While he may not hit the 50 homers he was on pace for with the Cubs or total the same 1.000 OPS, his numbers should look much closer to his 2019 second half than his first.
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90.
Trevor Bauer
SP
Bauer may be one of the most talented pitchers in baseball, but he has exactly one season with an ERA below 4.18, a WHIP below 1.25, or more than 12 wins. Even on an improved Cincinnati team, there's little reason to expect him to do much better than those numbers. Bauer will give you innings and plenty of strikeouts, but fantasy owners would do well to largely forget 2018, and draft him with closer to a 4.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in mind.
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93.
Mike Moustakas
2B,3B
Moustakas is a virtual lock to hit 30+ homers with 80+ RBIs but he doesn't steal any bags and with the power will likely come a sub-optimal batting average. You could do worse in the 9th round, however, because at the very least, he is a reliable three-category contributor.
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95.
Sonny Gray
SP
Gray talked about how he didn't like how the Yankees had forced him to use his slider and that he expected better results in 2019. Boy, did he get them with the Reds. His slider and curveball went from very good to great in 2019, and along with it improved all of his numbers. Armed now with a top-notch strikeout rate and peripherals that finally match his raw stuff, Gray should be drafted with confidence in 2020 as a reliable fantasy starter.
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133.
Raisel Iglesias
RP
Iglesias walked fewer and struck out more batters than ever, winding up with 34 saves last year. And yet it always felt like he was on the precipice of losing his job as the closer, particularly in light of his whopping 12 losses. Iglesias is still under control for two more seasons and, so long as he can continue to pitch relatively effectively, should be able to hold down the ninth-inning job in 2020. But there should be at least some trepidation among fantasy owners in light of his ups and downs last year.
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215.
Nick Senzel
2B,CF
Senzel was expected to be an immediate five-category contributor but has run into some injury issues then struggled with a .256 batting average. The upside is still there but compared to others being drafted in the 15th round, he comes with more risk.
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219.
Joey Votto
1B
It has now been two seasons since Votto has displayed any power, and his batting average has dropped quite a bit each of the last two years. He might not be helpful in fantasy whatsoever, but there is, of course, a chance that he bounces back to become a top 12 first basemen once again.
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227.
Anthony DeSclafani
SP
Desclafani quietly had a decent season in 2019, with a 3.89 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and more than a strikeout per inning. But his FIP and xFIP suggested he was lucky, and he lacks the upside of other late-round starters. In deeper mixed leagues where your rotation is solid and you just want someone to not hurt you, Desclafani is your guy. Otherwise, go for a higher ceiling.
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261.
Shogo Akiyama
LF,CF
Akiyama should represent a fairly high-floor outfield option that you can get at a bargain basement price. He'll likely bat leadoff for the Reds, potentially hit 20 home runs and steal 10 bases, and pile on the runs scored. There's no Shohei Ohtani upside with the bat, particularly given Akiyama's age, but he'll likely be a decent five-category contributor who is basically free in drafts.
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285.
Aristides Aquino
RF
Aquino came out of the gate absolutely blazing but came to a screeching halt. Even so, he finished the year with 19 homers and 7 steals in just 56 games played. His ceiling is obviously immense but if he doesn't hit from the start, he may end up back in the minors before long.
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330.
Jesse Winker
LF,CF,RF
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397.
Freddy Galvis
2B,SS
Galvis is quietly one of the most consistent offensive shortstops. His upside is limited, of course, but you can count on him for 20 homers, 65 runs, 65 RBIs and a decent average.
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402.
Wade Miley
SP
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438.
Tyler Mahle
SP
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449.
Michael Lorenzen
CF,RP
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479.
Amir Garrett
RP
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486.
Tucker Barnhart
C
Barnhart is so great defensively that there is virtually no chance he'll lose his job so two-catcher leagues can expect 40+ runs and RBIs but the BA and power won't be all that useful.
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505.
Pedro Strop
RP
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522.
Robert Stephenson
SP,RP
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566.
Lucas Sims
SP,RP
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657.
Curt Casali
C
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663.
Cody Reed
RP
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689.
Josh VanMeter
1B,2B,3B,LF
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818.
Jose De Leon
SP,RP
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859.
Robel Garcia
2B,3B
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938.
Nate Jones
RP
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982.
Phillip Ervin
LF,CF,RF
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1030.
Hunter Greene
SP
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1052.
Jose Garcia
SS
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1074.
Kyle Farmer
C,1B,2B,3B
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1109.
Tyler Stephenson
C
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1154.
Joel Kuhnel
RP
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1251.
Matt Bowman
RP
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1282.
Ryan Hendrix
RP
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1300.
R.J. Alaniz
RP
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1325.
Alex Blandino
2B
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1345.
Sal Romano
SP,RP
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1350.
Jesse Biddle
RP
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1370.
Travis Jankowski
RF
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1425.
Jonathan India
3B
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1431.
Tyler Thornburg
RP
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1496.
Matt Davidson
1B,3B,DH
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1539.
Ryan Lavarnway
C
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1597.
Tony Santillan
SP
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1638.
Brooks Raley
RP
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