Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Juan Soto Note
	4. Juan Soto LF,RF There aren't enough superlatives in the English language to describe what Soto has done in his career given his young age. Had he merely repeated his incredible 2019 numbers last season, fantasy managers would have been ecstatic. Instead, he upped his walk rate from an elite 16.4% to a truly remarkable 20.9%, cut his strikeout rate down to just 14.3%, and batted .351. Soto does not have the speed or baserunning chops to steal 30 bases in a season, which is the only thing keeping him from being considered worthy of drafting first overall. But given what he's accomplished through his age-21 season, it's truly scary to think of how high his ceiling may be. Draft him as a top-five pick and enjoy the ridiculous production. 19 weeks ago

Stephen Strasburg Note
	73. Stephen Strasburg SP Strasburg was limited to just five innings in 2020, with an injury that eventually required carpal tunnel syndrome. Although that's a minor surgery, the truth is that fantasy managers have very little data as to the impact and/or successful recovery rate after that surgery for pitchers. Strasburg's a tricky draft pick in any given year - he always provides strong value when he's on the mound, but has only topped 200 innings pitched twice in his career. Now entering his age-33 season, Strasburg will likely again provide excellent overall numbers assuming he is healthy. He looks great in the spring, though he's currently battling a minor calf injury, though it shouldn't keep him out for long. Draft him as an SP2, but anything more than 160 innings is gravy. 19 weeks ago

Josh Bell Note
	116. Josh Bell 1B,DH Bell looked like a superstar in the making in the first half of 2019, but struggled for much of the second half of the season and then fell off a cliff in 2020. He slashed a mere .226/.305/.364 and hit only eight home runs. His strikeout and ground ball rates took massive jumps, while his walk rate and launch angle plummeted. Bell blamed his struggles on his swing getting long, and you could tell by how often he changed his stance and swing last year that he simply could not figure things out. Now with the Nationals, the 29-year-old Bell will have a chance to revive his career. We've seen the upside, so he's certainly worth drafting at a discount, but he's much more of a borderline corner infielder than a starting-caliber first baseman. 19 weeks ago

Patrick Corbin Note
	130. Patrick Corbin SP Corbin had a disastrous 2020 season, during which he went 2-7 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. His strikeout rate plummeted, and his velocity dropped significantly, with his fastball seeing a dip of almost two miles per hour. Corbin leans heavily into his slider, and he needs it to be pristine to be an effective pitcher. And although it wasn't a terrible pitch in 2020, the swinging strike rate on it dropped from 28.1% to 21.2%, and the whiff rate from 52% to just 38.2%. If the loss in velocity and effectiveness of his slider were entirely due to the oddities of the shortened season, then Corbin is going to be a major value in drafts this year. But if not, then his days as a "set it and forget it" starter are likely over. Monitor Corbin's performance this spring, particularly with his velocity. If it's back up to prior levels, then push him up your board significantly. 19 weeks ago

Victor Robles Note
	135. Victor Robles CF There were plenty of warning signs with Robles' batted-ball data heading into 2020, and they're only greater now after an abysmal season during which he slashed .220/.293/.315. The MLB average in barrel rate and average exit velocity are 6.4% and 88.3 MPH, respectively. Robles clocked in at 4.8% and 83.3 MPH in 2019, and then fell to a ridiculous 1.7% and 82.2 MPH in 2020. His continously poor contact limits any upside, but it's worth noting that he still hit 17 homers and stole 28 bases in 2019 despite it all. Robles is still just entering his age-24 season, so massive long-term growth is still certainly on the table. But for now, it's impossible to justify drafting him as anything more than a fifth outfielder in mixed leagues. 19 weeks ago

Starlin Castro Note
	312. Starlin Castro 2B,3B

Tanner Rainey Note
	370. Tanner Rainey RP

Will Harris Note
	490. Will Harris RP

Luis Garcia Note
	511. Luis Garcia 2B

Alex Avila Note
	572. Alex Avila C

Kyle McGowin Note
	588. Kyle McGowin RP

Carter Kieboom Note
	593. Carter Kieboom 3B

Lane Thomas Note
	613. Lane Thomas RF

Wander Suero Note
	614. Wander Suero RP

Kyle Finnegan Note
	651. Kyle Finnegan RP

Andrew Stevenson Note
	725. Andrew Stevenson LF,RF

Austin Voth Note
	761. Austin Voth SP,RP

Josiah Gray Note
	788. Josiah Gray SP

Rogelio Armenteros Note
	804. Rogelio Armenteros RP

Erick Fedde Note
	892. Erick Fedde SP

Joe Ross Note
	953. Joe Ross SP,RP

Jefry Rodriguez Note
	996. Jefry Rodriguez SP

Keibert Ruiz Note
	1039. Keibert Ruiz C

Rene Rivera Note
	1047. Rene Rivera C

Welington Castillo Note
	1052. Welington Castillo C

Yadiel Hernandez Note
	1060. Yadiel Hernandez LF,RF

Ryne Harper Note
	1128. Ryne Harper RP

Ryan Zimmerman Note
	1133. Ryan Zimmerman 1B

Luis Avilan Note
	1158. Luis Avilan RP

Steven Fuentes Note
	1168. Steven Fuentes RP

Gerardo Parra Note
	1194. Gerardo Parra RF

Aaron Barrett Note
	1222. Aaron Barrett RP

Seth Romero Note
	1316. Seth Romero RP

Sam Clay Note
	1330. Sam Clay

Dakota Bacus Note
	1337. Dakota Bacus RP

Paolo Espino Note
	1357. Paolo Espino SP,RP

Javy Guerra Note
	1365. Javy Guerra RP

Ben Braymer Note
	1384. Ben Braymer RP

Tres Barrera Note
	1411. Tres Barrera C

Raudy Read Note
	1428. Raudy Read C

Jordy Mercer Note
	1441. Jordy Mercer 2B,3B,SS

Derek Dietrich Note
	1445. Derek Dietrich 1B

Jake Noll Note
	1483. Jake Noll 1B

Yasmany Tomas Note
	1539. Yasmany Tomas LF