Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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8.
Gerrit Cole
SP
Cole was pretty much as advertised in his first season with the Yankees. His ERA rose a tad, as did his home run rate as expected, and his strikeout rate fell a bit, though it remained at an absurdly high level. And, for the most part, all of his expected metrics fell off a tad from his 2019 season. But Cole's numbers from that season were so dominating that he could withstand plenty of regression and still be one of the best pitchers in fantasy. As such, he'll head into 2021 close to the way he came into the 2020 season: a dominant, high-strikeout, low-walk starter who will throw plenty of innings and who is more likely to finish as the top overall fantasy pitcher than he is to finish outside the top-10. It's a matter of personal preference between Cole and Jacob deGrom as the first pitcher off the board, but neither should fall outside the top-10 overall picks on draft day.
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36.
DJ LeMahieu
2B
LeMahieu will return to the Yankees on a six-year deal, and that is great news for fantasy managers. Since he's been New York, he's provided elite all-around production, most notably in batting average, where he has batted .336. He's blossomed into a 25-home run hitter with plenty of runs and RBI, and a handful of steals that chip in with the category. Add to that LeMahieu's multi-position eligibility and he is a huge asset to every fantasy team. With nothing in his profile to suggest a skills decline, he should be drafted before the third round is out in every fantasy league.
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47.
Aaron Judge
RF
Judge missed about half of the regular season last year with a calf strain, though he still hit for plenty of power when he was in the lineup. He walked and struck out a bit less than usual, but trying to glean anything from a 28-game sample, given Judge's history, is silly. When he's in the lineup, you know you'll get a ton of power and runs scored with a passable average. The key is "when he's in the lineup," however, as injuries have forced Judge to miss significant time over the last three seasons. So long as you factor that into your draft price and select him as an OF2, you'll be happy with the production.
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56.
Luke Voit
1B
Voit has always had a ton of power but last year he left the yard at a ridiculous pace, with a 34.9% HR/FB rate, third best in the league. The thing is, nothing about his profile really changed all that much. Indeed, his hard hit rate, barrel percentage, and average exit velocity actually were career lows. The biggest difference was that Voit simply swung more than ever, 52.1% of the time, and correspondingly made more contact, at a 73.8% rate, and actually struck out less than ever before. If Voit keeps the same approach, there's every reason to expect him to put up massive power numbers, assuming he can stay healthy. That's always been the issue, of course, and he did battle plantar fasciitis at the end of the year. Bake in some injury risk to your evaluation, but expect plenty of power this season from Voit.
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61.
Gleyber Torres
SS
Torres missed some time with quad and hamstring strains last season, but his year was an absolute disaster even without it. He batted just .243 and hit a mere three home runs in 160 plate appearances. The culprit was that he was reportedly out of shape, a byproduct of the long layoff between the original spring training and when baseball resumed months later. There's every reason to buy into the excuse given Torres' track record, especially since he bounced back a bit in September and October with an .842 OPS. Expect more typical numbers from Torres this year, meaning around a .270 average, 30 home runs, and plenty of counting stats. Given his ADP, he's likely to be a bargain this year.
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78.
Aroldis Chapman
RP
Chapman missed time last year because he was diagnosed with COVID-19, but he was largely the same pitcher as always when he was on the mount. He struck out 22 batters in his 11 2/3 innings pitched and allowed just six hits. His velocity may be slightly below what it was at its peak, but it's still elite, and he appears to have plenty left in the tank heading into his age-33 season. He'll again close for one of the best teams in baseball, and although he's never had a 40-save season, he should easily surpass 30 and be one of the top closers drafted in fantasy.
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90.
Giancarlo Stanton
DH
It's all about the injuries with Stanton, as after two healthy seasons, he's been limited to just 41 games over the last two. There's little to analyze with the slugger other than his health. He still hits the ball as hard as anyone and walks and strikes out a ton. There's been little decline in his batted ball data over the last two years, but even if there had been, the sample size would be too small to draw any conclusions. Stanton is likely eligible at utility only in your league, but that limitation should let him come as a discount in drafts. Have power on your bench ready to fill in if you draft Stanton, but there's no reason to run from him.
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147.
Gio Urshela
3B
Urshela isn't the most exciting player, and perhaps that's why he largely gets ignored by fantasy managers despite his quality production. Over his last two seasons (175 games), he's slashed .310/.358/.523 with 27 home runs and 104 RBI. He won't contribute in steals, but he's an incredibly safe source of batting average, particularly because of his excellent strikeout rate, and he should have plenty of opportunities to contribute counting stats. The only question was his health, but he seems fully recovered from his elbow injury. Draft him with confidence.
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174.
Corey Kluber
SP
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185.
Clint Frazier
RF
There's little reason to doubt Frazier's ability to contribute from a fantasy perspective at this point. Over the last two seasons, he has a 162-game pace of a .267 average, 30 home runs, 83 runs scored, 96 RBI, and 6 steals. He upped his walk rate significantly in 2020 (15.6%, top seven percent in the league) and hits the ball hard consistently. The only issue for Frazier is his playing time with Giancarlo Stanton healthy and Brett Gardner back in the fold. But Frazier has done enough to hold the left field job and, regardless, Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Aaron Hicks are not the product of health. Draft Frazier as a starting outfielder and don't worry about the playing time.
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199.
Gary Sanchez
C
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212.
Jameson Taillon
SP
Taillon has undergone Tommy John surgery twice, and has totaled just 37 1/3 innings over the last two years. And really, he's had only one truly notable year, which was in 2018. But what separated Taillon that year was his outstanding slider, which not only performed exceedingly well, but also buoyed the effectiveness of the rest of his pitches. Now with the Yankees, Taillon has plenty of upside. But, as always, health remains the concern, and is the reason you shouldn't draft him until you've filled out most of your staff.
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227.
Jordan Montgomery
SP
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238.
Aaron Hicks
CF
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302.
Luis Severino
SP
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319.
Domingo German
SP
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327.
Deivi Garcia
SP
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400.
Zack Britton
RP
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411.
Chad Green
RP
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507.
Trey Amburgey
RF
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552.
Darren O'Day
RP
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582.
Jonathan Loaisiga
RP
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590.
Miguel Andujar
LF
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631.
Clarke Schmidt
RP
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635.
Mike Tauchman
LF
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656.
Kyle Higashioka
C
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669.
Brett Gardner
LF
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673.
Jay Bruce
LF
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696.
Justin Wilson
RP
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699.
Thairo Estrada
2B
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746.
Mike Ford
1B
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825.
Michael King
RP
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845.
Tyler Wade
2B,SS
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846.
Jhoulys Chacin
RP
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970.
Robinson Chirinos
C
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995.
Greg Allen
LF
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1048.
Luis Cessa
RP
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1131.
Adam Warren
RP
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1132.
Nick Nelson
RP
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1155.
Reggie McClain
RP
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1158.
Josh Smith
RP
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1184.
Brooks Kriske
RP
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1215.
Nestor Cortes Jr.
RP
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1231.
Tyler Lyons
RP
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1233.
Albert Abreu
RP
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1313.
Derek Dietrich
1B
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1457.
Estevan Florial
CF
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1494.
Andrew Velazquez
SS
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