Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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50.
Tyler Glasnow
SP
Glasnow is really a fascinating case study. He followed up an incredible 60-inning stretch in 2019 (1.78 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 33% strikeout rate) with a bit of a step back last year (4.08 ERA and 1.13 WHIP). But his xFIP in 2020 (2.75) was actually lower than in 2019 (2.94), and his strikeout rate jumped to a whopping 38.2%. The real issue for Glasnow is that he's a two-pitch pitcher, and although both his fastball and curveball are outstanding, they need to be superb at all times for him to have a dominant season. And last year, they were both just a bit worse than the season prior, particularly his fastball. With enormous strikeout upside and a spot in the rotation of one of the best and most pitching-savvy teams in the Rays, Glasnow makes a fine SP2 for a fantasy team. But his injury history, and his lack of a third pitch, make him a bit riskier than others going in his range.
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51.
Randy Arozarena
LF,RF,DH
Fantasy managers will likely remember Arozarena's remarkable postseason, when he slashed .377/.442/.831. But his regular season (.281/.382/.641) would make him a strong fantasy asset if he could repeat hit. Arozarena wasn't looked at as a high impact prospect, but he put on significant muscle before last year and it manifested itself in his power production. There's a 25-homer bat in his skill set, and the fact that he'll likely throw in 15-20 steals should give him a high floor regardless. Don't pay for the postseason, of course, but Arozarena should be a rock solid fantasy outfielder in 2021.
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60.
Nelson Cruz
DH
If you ascribe to the "I'd rather jump off a year too early than too late" philosophy, then you probably haven't been drafting Cruz for the last several years. But if not, then you've not only drafted one of the most underrated fantasy bats in recent memory, but you're probably going to do so again this year. Cruz is back on a one-year deal with the Twins, and he's coming off another utterly dominant season. Fine, his strikeout rate rose again a bit, he didn't hit the ball quite as hard, and he's eligible at utility only. But other than the fact that he will be 41 years old this season, there's nothing in his profile that should cause you to expect significant decline. Prepare to be having the same debate next year, after Crus puts up another 35-homer season this year.
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71.
Austin Meadows
LF,DH
Meadows missed time with an oblique injury last year, and, more importantly, because of complications from COVID-19. Meadows's strikeout rate ballooned to 32.9% and his average fell to just .205 in 2020. Even if you expected regression from his 2019 season, he's just much better than a player who put up the 87 wRC+ and .292 wOBA we saw last year. Though it's absolutely fair to write off Meadows's season entirely, it's a bit worrisome that he struggled so much against lefties (.143 batting average), as that could potentially open him up to a platoon situation if he struggles against them out of the gate. The best course of action is to discount him from his numbers in 2019 for certain, but still buy him as a strong third outfielder, which should bake in the risk of any continued struggles against his upside.
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79.
Brandon Lowe
2B,RF,LF
Lowe actually lost a point on his batting average from 2019 (.269 from .270), but his profile looked far better in 2020. He cut his strikeout rate from 34.6% to 25.9%, and his swinging strike rate from 19.1% to 15.4%. Despite barreling the ball a whopping 17.5% of the time (top 2 percent in baseball), his average dropped a point because, well, he just didn't have an outrageously lucky BABIP like he did in 2019 (.377). Lowe improved his ISO and HR/FB rate, and was generally the best version of himself in 2020. Even mashing together his 2019 and 2020 seasons, Lowe has hit 31 homers and stole eight bases over 138 games. Batting near the top of a strong lineup, he should deliver another solid season at the thin second base position.
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244.
Ryan Yarbrough
SP,RP
Yarbrough doesn't get a ton of respect in the fantasy community because he doesn't strike out a ton of batters, but he's quietly put together an excellent career. He's practically a wizard at limiting hard contact (he has allowed an average exit velocity of 84.8 MPH and an average hard hit rate of 26.3%, both remarkably low numbers), and he rarely issues free passes or home runs. In other words, it's really difficult to string together big innings against Yarbrough, especially as he's continued to use his excellent changeup more and more. The Rays will probably let him go a little more this year with their rotation, but even if they keep his usage the same, he'll be an excellent addition to the back end of a fantasy staff.
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260.
Manuel Margot
LF,CF,RF
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283.
Pete Fairbanks
RP
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288.
Wander Franco
SS
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344.
Nick Anderson
RP
Anderson has a partial tear of his elbow ligament and, although he won't need surgery, he is likely out until after the All-Star Break. Although he can be dominant when healthy, there's no reason to draft and stash him at this point, given that he won't even be the sole closer for the Rays if and when he returns.
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361.
Joey Wendle
2B,3B,SS
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413.
Chris Archer
SP
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416.
Kevin Kiermaier
CF
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436.
Yandy Diaz
3B,1B
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465.
Matt Wisler
SP,RP
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470.
Francisco Mejia
C
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495.
Luis Patino
RP,SP
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515.
Mike Zunino
C
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534.
Collin McHugh
RP,SP
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545.
Josh Fleming
SP,RP
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557.
Drew Rasmussen
RP
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558.
Ji-Man Choi
1B
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570.
Brendan McKay
SP
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583.
Mike Brosseau
1B,3B,2B
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594.
Jordan Luplow
LF,CF,RF
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597.
Cody Reed
RP
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608.
Michael Wacha
SP,RP
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623.
Ryan Thompson
RP
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635.
Shawn Armstrong
RP
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690.
Brent Honeywell Jr.
SP
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709.
J.P. Feyereisen
RP
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786.
Jeffrey Springs
RP
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796.
Chaz Roe
RP
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799.
Ryan Sherriff
RP
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842.
Andrew Kittredge
RP,SP
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857.
Shane McClanahan
SP
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898.
Vidal Brujan
2B
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921.
Chris Mazza
SP,RP
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937.
Mike Ford
1B
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1032.
Josh Lowe
CF
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1036.
Tommy Hunter
RP
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1049.
Oliver Drake
RP
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1087.
Brett Phillips
CF,RF,LF
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1150.
Colin Poche
RP
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1151.
DJ Johnson
RP
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1167.
Jalen Beeks
RP
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1310.
Sean Poppen
RP
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1432.
Joseph Odom
C
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1479.
Kevin Padlo
3B
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1522.
Taylor Walls
SS
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