Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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10.
Shane Bieber
SP
Bieber took the huge gains he had made in 2019 and kicked the into hyperdrive en route to a Cy Young season. He had a miniscule 1.63 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP, and took his strikeout percentage to 41.1%, which ranked first among qualified starters. Everything was exceptional for Bieber, as he held batters to just a .167 batting average, barely allowed home runs, and earned eight wins in just 12 starts. He may struggle to again find wins given the Indians' depleted lineup, but there is nothing else to think twice about with Bieber. He's part of the ultra-elite tier in starting pitching with Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole, and should be a first-round selection, especially since he seems to have had no ill effects from his battle with COVID-19.
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12.
Jose Ramirez
3B
If you throw out the first half of his 2019 season, then Ramirez has been a dominant force in fantasy baseball for the last five years. He was as good as ever in 2020, setting career highs in slugging percentage (.607), wOBA (.415) and wRC+ (164). To the extent there are question marks about Ramirez, they're about his supporting cast, as Cleveland's lineup should be one of the weaker ones in the league now that the team has jettisoned Francisco Lindor. But a hitter's lineup is often overvalued by fantasy managers, particularly with a player like Ramirez who adds in value with stolen bases. He comes with little to no risk, and should be the first third baseman drafted, and a first round pick, in all formats.
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96.
Eddie Rosario
LF
Rosario stays in the AL Central, signing a one-year deal with the Indians after a successful tenure with the Twins. He's established a fairly reliable power baseline at this point, and he usually offers some batting average to go with it. Last year, however, his batting average dipped to just .257, in part because he became much more passive (8.2% walk rate, 51.2% Swing%, both far out of character for his career). The bigger issue was that Rosario largely cut down on his swing percentage on pitches in the strike zone, but continued to swing at pitches out of the zone at a 41.2% clip. That likely explains his lower than usual average exit velocity and barrel rate, and it's something that's easily correctable if he just goes back to his previous approach. At the very least, Rosario should chip in 25 home runs at least, while helping out in runs and RBI, and he's a fine third outfielder in mixed leagues.
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97.
Zach Plesac
SP
Plesac is getting a ton of love for his eight excellent starts in 2020, but there's plenty of reason to be cautious. His FIP, xFIP, xERA, and SIERA were all more than a run higher than his ERA, and both his strikeout rate and walk rate significantly outproduced what he showed he could do in the minors. Yes, Plesac altered his pitch mix, throwing fewer fastballs and instead more sliders and changeups, so if you're looking for a reason to buy the gains, you have one. But he had a ridiculous 91.7% LOB rate, and even with his ability to limit hard contact, his BABIP against should rise from the .224 mark last year. Plesac can help a fantasy staff, but manage expectations significantly.
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106.
James Karinchak
RP
Karinchak is expected to be Cleveland's closer after Brad Hand moved on to the Nationals, though it's not a sure thing yet. Yes, he walks too many batters (5.33 per nine innings), but you can get away with it when you strike out nearly half the batters you face and hitters bat .151 against you overall. Karinchak has two absolutely devastating pitches: a mid-90's fastball (.184 batting average against, .151 xBA) and a power curveball (.140 batting average against, .114 xBA). Cleveland may not have a ton of success this year and hence save opportunities may be limited, but Karinchak can be a dominant fantasy reliever if he gets the job. Monitor reports out of the spring to see when and if Terry Francona formerly anoints him as the closer. If he does, he should vault to being a top-6 or 7 reliever.
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125.
Franmil Reyes
DH
Reyes didn't quite live up to his power potential last year with just nine home runs in 59 games, and his 50.3% ground ball rate certainly didn't help. His Statcast data waned a bit from his monstrous 2019 season, but his 92.4 mile per hour average exit velocity was in the top two percent in baseball. There's just not a ton to dislike about Reyes, other than he offers nothing in the way of speed. On his absolute worst day, he's a 30-homer bat with a batting average that won't kill you. On his best day, he's a lite version of a healthy Aaron Judge. Expect at least three-category production, and make it four if he can maintain the 10% walk rate he showed in 2020.
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175.
Aaron Civale
SP
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176.
Triston McKenzie
SP
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247.
Andres Gimenez
SS
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290.
Amed Rosario
SS
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318.
Cesar Hernandez
2B
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359.
Oscar Mercado
CF
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375.
Josh Naylor
LF
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482.
Emmanuel Clase
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532.
Nick Wittgren
RP
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560.
Jake Bauers
LF
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562.
Cal Quantrill
RP
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568.
Roberto Perez
C
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627.
Phil Maton
RP
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640.
Harold Ramirez
RF
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682.
Austin Hedges
C
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689.
Trevor Stephan
SP
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710.
Jordan Luplow
LF
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767.
Bradley Zimmer
LF
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805.
Scott Moss
SP
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811.
Nolan Jones
3B
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818.
Eli Morgan
SP
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825.
Daniel Johnson
RF
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832.
Adam Plutko
RP
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876.
Oliver Perez
RP
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886.
Blake Parker
RP
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933.
Sam Hentges
SP
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948.
Ben Gamel
RF
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982.
Kyle Nelson
RP
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1016.
Cam Hill
RP
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1021.
Heath Hembree
RP
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1118.
Nick Sandlin
RP
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1200.
Bryan Shaw
RP
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1287.
Logan Allen
RP
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1330.
Beau Taylor
C
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1349.
Billy Hamilton
CF
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1398.
Bobby Bradley
DH
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1432.
Yu Chang
SS
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1433.
Mike Freeman
3B
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1482.
Tyler Freeman
SS
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1511.
Owen Miller
SS
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1518.
Ernie Clement
SS
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