Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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165.
Kyle Lewis
CF,RF
Even in a shortened year, Lewis managed to have two distinctively different seasons en route to the AL Rookie of the Year Award. In the first half, he hit .368 with seven home runs. In the second half, he hit just .150 with four home runs. Lewis has plenty of tools but needs to cut back on his strikeouts if he's going to avoid the ups and downs he saw last year. His average is likely to hurt you, but he has 25-homer pop, and can throw in a handful of steals. Despite his rookie of the year award, there's not a ton of buzz on Lewis after his late-season slide, so he'll likely come at a discount.
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166.
Marco Gonzales
SP
If you want to buy into performances from the 2020 season, then you'll have Gonzales significantly higher than you would otherwise. He made major gains last year, including up his strikeout rate to a career-best 23.1% and lowering his walk rate to a career-best 2.5%. Bu even with the gains, Gonzales's swinging strike rate was only 8.4% (below his career average), and his fastball velocity is close to the worst in the league. As a pure back end of the rotation starter, he's fine, but do not expect anything close to a 3.10 ERA again, and bake in regression for his strikeouts.
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169.
James Paxton
SP
Paxton missed almost the entire 2020 season after straining a flexor in his pitching forearm. Any forearm injury is worrisome because of the connection to the elbow, and Paxton has hardly been the picture of health in his career. He'll try to jumpstart his career again back with the Mariners, and the reports from his workout, where he reportedly touched 94 MPH, were encouraging after his velocity drop last year. When he pitches, he's almost always effective, so he's worth a late-round pick for the potential upside. But the injury history should keep him relatively low on your draft board.
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175.
Dylan Moore
2B,3B,SS,LF,RF
Moore hit .255 with eight home runs and 12 stolen bases in just 38 games last year. Despite not having an abundance of speed, Moore's stolen base prowess is real, as he stole 96 bases over 447 minor league games at a 77% clip and ranked in the 71st percentile in sprint speed last year. And he cut his strikeout rate to a high but manageable 27% last year, and his barrel rate, hard hit percentage, and average exit velocity were all well above average. But Moore has struggled against righties for much of his time in the majors, and despite his success last year, is unlikely to have a long leash with Shed Long waiting in the wings. Moore has upside and multi-position eligibility to go along with his power and speed. Just have a backup plan ready to go.
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189.
Rafael Montero
RP
Montero wound up closing for the Rangers and totaling eight saves in 2020, but it wasn't a particularly special season. His hard-hit rate and walk-rate increased from his strong 2019 season, and he totaled a 4.08 ERA. Now with Seattle, Montero's best asset may be his lack of competition for the closer's role, as Seattle has struggled for several seasons to find a reliable ninth-inning option. Draft Montero as a mid-tier closer, who you're taking more for his job security than his spectacular numbers.
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197.
Mitch Haniger
CF,RF
Haniger hasn't played since June of 2019, and his career has been riddled with injuries. But he's shown his potential in his lone healthy season, and he certainly has 25-homer pop in his bat. The question, as usual, is health, and for now, he remains ready to go for the season. If things remain that way, draft him as a bench player with upside.
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223.
Kyle Seager
3B
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240.
Jarred Kelenic
CF
Kelenic was assigned to the Mariners' Minor League camp on March 26th, which wasn't much of a surprise after he suffered a knee injury that cost him time this spring. He looked more than ready for the big club in his 23 plate appearances, however, hitting two home runs with a 1.256 OPS. Kelenic likely won't be down for too long (perhaps just long enough for the team to gain an extra year of control), so fantasy managers can still draft him late and wait a bit to reap the rewards.
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267.
Yusei Kikuchi
SP
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280.
Ty France
2B,3B
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301.
Justus Sheffield
SP
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340.
Evan White
1B
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379.
Tom Murphy
C
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432.
J.P. Crawford
SS
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486.
Taylor Trammell
LF,CF
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576.
Luis Torrens
C
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592.
Anthony Misiewicz
RP
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616.
Andres Munoz
RP
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623.
Keynan Middleton
RP
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637.
Chris Flexen
SP,RP
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642.
Justin Dunn
SP
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701.
Brandon Brennan
RP
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714.
Jose Marmolejos
1B,LF
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722.
Julio Rodriguez
RF
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744.
Logan Gilbert
SP
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747.
Casey Sadler
RP
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759.
Matt Magill
RP
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775.
Ljay Newsome
SP
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868.
Kendall Graveman
RP
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881.
Sam Haggerty
LF
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912.
Erik Swanson
SP,RP
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942.
Nick Margevicius
SP,RP
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974.
Yohan Ramirez
RP
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1017.
Shed Long Jr.
2B,LF
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1019.
Roenis Elias
RP
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1020.
Jake Fraley
CF,RF
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1102.
Drew Steckenrider
RP
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1114.
Sam Delaplane
RP
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1148.
Wyatt Mills
RP
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1206.
Joey Gerber
RP
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1230.
Brady Lail
RP
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1260.
Aaron Fletcher
RP
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1268.
Braden Bishop
CF,RF
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1353.
Will Vest
RP
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1359.
Robert Dugger
SP
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1362.
Paul Sewald
RP
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1376.
Domingo Tapia
RP
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1403.
Cal Raleigh
C
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1502.
Donovan Walton
Util
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1506.
Sam Travis
1B,LF
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