Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2020 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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6.
Francisco Lindor
SS
Lindor's 2019 season got off to a rocky start with a right calf strain in February followed by a sprained left ankle in March. But when he returned in late April, he didn't miss a beat, putting up a classic 30-20 season and contributing in all five categories. There were some minor negatives for Lindor - his strikeout rate went up, his walk rate went down, and he had an expected batting average of just .276, the lowest of his career. But Lindor's floor at this point is so enormously high that he's one of the few no-risk players, and he shouldn't slip past the top 10 in drafts or, frankly, the top seven.
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13.
Jose Ramirez
3B
Ramirez's overall 2019 season was obviously subpar, as much as a 23-homer, 24-steal year can be. He batted just .218 in the first half with a mere seven home runs, and his fantasy value was saved only by his 18 first-half steals. But he looked closer to his old self in the second half, batting .327 with an 1.105 OPS. Whether it was him trying to do too much in the first half or something related to his newborn child (his surge happened to coincide with his return from paternity leave), Ramirez's return to normalcy in the second half should give you plenty of confidence in his 2020 outlook.
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29.
Shane Bieber
SP
Bieber was simply fantastic in 2019 and gave you everything you want from a stud pitcher. He was second in the league innings, had a 3.28 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP, and was top-10 in strikeout and walk rates. He gave up his fair share of home runs but, overall, there are next to no complaint about Bieber. Draft him with confidence as a low-end ace.
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111.
Franmil Reyes
DH,RF
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118.
Carlos Carrasco
SP,RP
Carrasco was already dealing with plenty of question marks after losing much of last season to leukemia, and now has been diagnosed with a mild hip flexor. He's day-to-day but it's obviously not the start to the spring that Carrasco owners were hoping for. Continue to monitor his progress but he avoids setbacks, he represents a fairly steep bargain in fantasy drafts, given his past performance and the fact that last year can largely be written off to his illness.
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123.
Oscar Mercado
CF,LF
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263.
Aaron Civale
SP
Civale's stuff isn't particularly impressive, but he has a good minor league track record and had an impressive 10-start audition last year. He won't wow you with strikeouts, and his ERA is likely to be a run and a half higher than his 2.34 mark from 2019, but he should provide innings that help in AL-only leagues.
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375.
James Karinchak
RP
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394.
Zach Plesac
SP
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416.
Roberto Perez
C
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478.
Nick Wittgren
RP
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551.
Jake Bauers
LF
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602.
Josh Naylor
1B,DH,LF
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625.
Logan Allen
RP
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647.
Emmanuel Clase
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670.
Cal Quantrill
SP
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684.
Adam Plutko
SP
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727.
Delino DeShields
CF
DeShields tested positive for COVID-19, but returned to the Indians on July 11. On July 13, however, the team placed him on the IL for undisclosed reasons, which suggests that he has not fully cleared protocol. For now, avoid drafting DeShields, who doesn't appear to have a place to play in any event.
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761.
Jordan Luplow
LF,RF
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767.
Triston McKenzie
SP
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772.
Austin Hedges
C
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844.
Scott Moss
SP
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906.
Logan Allen
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935.
Phil Maton
RP
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961.
Tyler Naquin
RF
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1027.
Dominic Leone
RP
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1037.
Bradley Zimmer
CF,LF,RF
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1081.
Jefry Rodriguez
SP
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1145.
Daniel Johnson
RF
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1334.
Beau Taylor
C
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1384.
Bobby Bradley
DH
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1422.
Yu Chang
3B
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1537.
Nolan Jones
3B
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1544.
Hanley Ramirez
DH
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1572.
Owen Miller
SS
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