Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Matt Olson Note
	78. Matt Olson 1B Olson again hit for a ton of power last year, and ranked in the top nine percent of the league in average exit velocity for the third straight season. But he struck out 31.4% of the time, which contributed to a massive average drop to just .195. Olson had a bit of bad luck, as his xBA was .224, but still, it was by far his worst career mark. Although he'll never be a high average hitter, it's a good bet that he'll return something this year closer to his .245 career mark. Combine that with his likely near-40 home run season, and he'll make a fine mid-round selection and starting first baseman for any fantasy team. 3 weeks ago

Matt Chapman Note
	90. Matt Chapman 3B Chapman lost a significant chunk of his 2020 season to a torn labrum in his hip, and had surgery to repair the injury. It seems obvious that the injury was bothering him all year, as evidenced by his massive jump in strikeout rate (35.5%) and corresponding drop in walk rate. There's little reason to give Chapman's 2020 season any credence given what he'd shown the previous two years. Expect him to bounce back to the 30-homer bat with decent all-around production that we had come to expect, and enjoy the discount that his numbers from last year provide. 3 weeks ago

Jesus Luzardo Note
	99. Jesus Luzardo SP,RP Luzardo's 2020 campaign wasn't terrible, but it certainly left fantasy managers wanting more. The strikeouts were there, but not quite at the level that was expected. He rarely went deep into games. And he was just more hittable than he ever was in the minors or in his brief time as a reliever in 2019. Luzardo throws four quality pitches and is working to improve his arsenal as we head into the 2021 season, so there's little reason to downgrade your opinion of him too much from where it was prior to the 2020 campaign because of one nine-start stretch. He's an incredibly high-upside pitcher who carries with him plenty of injury risk, and the combination leaves him as a solid SP3 for fantasy leagues. 3 weeks ago

Ramon Laureano Note
	125. Ramon Laureano CF,RF Laureano had a down 2020, which included a .213 batting average and a sharp decline in his Statcast data, as well as his steal attempts. But he had provided a fairly solid baseline over the two prior seasons, with a .288 batting average, 29 home runs, and 20 steals while being caught just three times over 171 games. Laureano doesn't excel anywhere, but he'll chip in almost everywhere, and you can get him beyond the 12th round in most drafts. He's an ideal fourth outfielder in mixed leagues. 3 weeks ago

Trevor Rosenthal Note
	140. Trevor Rosenthal RP After missing the 2018 season and most of the 2019 season, Rosenthal bounced back in a huge way last year. He stepped in as the Royals' closer, notching seven saves, and then was unhittable with the Padres after a mid-year trade. He parlayed his success into a one-year contract with the A's, where all signs point to him being the undisputed closer. Rosenthal was an outstanding reliever in his prime and once had back-to-back 45-save (or better) seasons. And his raw stuff looked excellent last year, as he totaled the best strikeout rate of his career. If he stays healthy, he has a shot at being a top-5 closer, but you can draft him a little later than that and likely make a profit. 3 weeks ago

Frankie Montas Note
	145. Frankie Montas SP Montas had a terrible 2020 season, but it was more than likely due to a back injury he suffered early on which probably bothered him throughout the year. He started off with four excellent starts (four runs and 22 strikeouts in 23 innings) before he was scratched with back tightness and returned with lower velocity. Yes, he had the PED suspension in 2019, but Montas's splitter was, and should continue to be when a healthy, a dominant pitch, and a healthy season should mean a return to being a starter you can "set and forget." If he can ever get away from throwing his sinker so much, and incorporate more of his splitter and/or four-seam fastball, he could be a monster. Montas was diagnosed with COVID-19 right at the start of spring training, but he has returned healthy and looked good in the spring, so he's an ideal sleeper. 3 weeks ago

Chris Bassitt Note
	183. Chris Bassitt SP Bassitt doesn't wow you with his raw stuff, and is never going to be a high-strikeout pitcher. But he has above-average command and is able to generally limit hard contact and home runs. If he were being drafted on the basis of his 2.29 ERA last year then he would be someone to avoid, but the fact is he is never going to be drafted on the basis of his actual numbers given his sub-par strikeout rate and his significantly higher FIP and xFIP (versus his ERA). He can add plenty of value on the back end of a fantasy rotation, so long as you have strikeouts covered elsewhere. 3 weeks ago

Mark Canha Note
	206. Mark Canha 1B,LF,CF,RF,DH Fantasy managers seem to have declared Canha's 2019 season as a fluke after he hit just five home run last year, but much of his 2020 seems to suggest 2019 was fairly legitimate. Canha built on his massive gains in walk rate in 2019 (13.5%) and increased it to 15.2%, and his quality of contact largely remained the same. He's got 20-homer power still, and he'll likely lead off or bat second for the A's. You won't need to pay much for him and given his average draft position, there's a high probability of a profit. 3 weeks ago

Sean Murphy Note
	220. Sean Murphy C Murphy has pretty quietly put together two quality seasons in a row, albeit in limited samples. Over his past 63 games, he's put up 11 home runs, 35 runs scored, and 22 RBI, a pace that is more than respectable, even if it comes with a sub-par batting average. Murphy is dealing with a collapsed lung and may not be ready for the start of the season, but it doesn't sound like it will keep him out of action for long. He's a borderline starter in most mixed leagues, but he offers a decent floor if you miss our on more quality options. 3 weeks ago

Sean Manaea Note
	225. Sean Manaea SP

Elvis Andrus Note
	279. Elvis Andrus SS

Jake Diekman Note
	355. Jake Diekman RP

A.J. Puk Note
	368. A.J. Puk RP

Stephen Piscotty Note
	388. Stephen Piscotty RF

Daulton Jefferies Note
	422. Daulton Jefferies SP

Mitch Moreland Note
	434. Mitch Moreland 1B

J.B. Wendelken Note
	469. J.B. Wendelken RP

Yusmeiro Petit Note
	487. Yusmeiro Petit RP

Chad Pinder Note
	499. Chad Pinder 2B,3B,LF,RF

Lou Trivino Note
	517. Lou Trivino RP

Adam Kolarek Note
	540. Adam Kolarek RP

Sergio Romo Note
	549. Sergio Romo RP

Mike Fiers Note
	698. Mike Fiers SP

Tony Kemp Note
	700. Tony Kemp 2B,LF,CF

Burch Smith Note
	753. Burch Smith RP

Trey Supak Note
	782. Trey Supak SP

Jed Lowrie Note
	831. Jed Lowrie 2B,DH

Aramis Garcia Note
	833. Aramis Garcia C

Grant Holmes Note
	864. Grant Holmes SP

Brian Howard Note
	879. Brian Howard SP

Parker Dunshee Note
	913. Parker Dunshee SP

Paul Blackburn Note
	952. Paul Blackburn SP

Seth Brown Note
	983. Seth Brown 1B,LF

Austin Allen Note
	1058. Austin Allen C

Deolis Guerra Note
	1091. Deolis Guerra RP

Ka'ai Tom Note
	1154. Ka'ai Tom CF,RF

Reymin Guduan Note
	1174. Reymin Guduan RP

Wandisson Charles Note
	1214. Wandisson Charles RP

James Kaprielian Note
	1224. James Kaprielian RP

Vimael Machin Note
	1229. Vimael Machin 3B,SS

Luis Barrera Note
	1270. Luis Barrera CF

Cole Irvin Note
	1314. Cole Irvin SP,RP

Jordan Weems Note
	1319. Jordan Weems RP

Miguel Romero Note
	1322. Miguel Romero RP

Buddy Reed Note
	1531. Buddy Reed LF,CF

Greg Deichmann Note
	1546. Greg Deichmann RF