Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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1.
Jacob deGrom
SP - NYM
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2.
Gerrit Cole
SP - NYY
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3.
Shane Bieber
SP - CLE
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4.
Walker Buehler
SP - LAD
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5.
Trevor Bauer
SP - FA
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6.
Yu Darvish
SP - SD
After a career year in 2020, Darvish moves to San Diego in a trade that shouldn't affect his strong 2021 outlook all that much. Despite his advancing age, Darvish built on the gains he had made over the second half of 2019, finishing with a 2.01 ER, a 0.96 WHIP, and a 31.3% strikeout rate. Darvish's walk rate has declined to a level once thought unattainable for the veteran, a mere 4.7%, which was in the top 8% of MLB in 2020. Although he'll be entering his age-35 season, there's simply nothing in Darvish's numbers, metrics, or statcast data that points to a decline. If you are desperate to find a negative, it's a move from the weak-hitting NL Central to the much stronger NL West, but that's hardly a reason to avoid Darvish. Draft him as an easy top-10 starter, and more like a top-5 option.
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7.
Aaron Nola
SP - PHI
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8.
Luis Castillo
SP - CIN
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9.
Lucas Giolito
SP - CWS
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10.
Max Scherzer
SP - WSH
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11.
Jack Flaherty
SP - STL
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12.
Clayton Kershaw
SP - LAD
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13.
Blake Snell
SP - SD
Snell moves to the Padres fresh off a solid year, in which he pitched to a 3.24 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, with a memorable early exit in the World Series. Snell has a checkered injury history and has pitched just 157 innings over the past two years, so don't expect him to be a big innings-eater in 2021. And, although he'll escape the dreaded AL East, he'll get a downgrade in park and defense, which largely makes the move a neutral one. All that said, Snell has plenty of talent as he's shown throughout his career, and should be able to pile up wins and strikeouts pitching for a strong Padres team. Draft him as an SP2 with upside.
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14.
Lance Lynn
SP - CWS
Lynn turned in another stellar year in 2020, leading MLB with 84 innings pitched, striking out plenty of batters, and keeping his walk rate and overall numbers in check. But there are a few warning signs under the hood, including his 4.19 FIP, his 4.34 xFIP, and his career-high 79.4% LOB rate. Of bigger concern is his trade to the White Sox and hitter-friendly Guaranteed Rate Field, particularly because Lynn had a 38.3% fly-ball rate in 2019 and a 42.3% fly-ball rate last year. That led to the worst HR/9 rate of his career and second-worst HR/FB rate (13.8%) in 2020. Countering those troublesome warning signs, however, is the fact that he'll be caught by perhaps the best pitch framer in baseball in Yasmani Grandal, and that will generally help with his numbers which, again, were excellent last year. Add it all up and Lynn's ERA should likely increase simply because of the additional home runs he'll allow if he can't turn around his trend in fly-ball rate, but Grandal's presence and Lynn's general aptitude on the mound should allow for another strong season and make him worthy of a selection as an SP2.
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15.
Zac Gallen
SP - ARI
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16.
Sonny Gray
SP - CIN
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17.
Josh Hader
RP - MIL
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18.
Brandon Woodruff
SP - MIL
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19.
Kenta Maeda
SP,RP - MIN
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20.
Stephen Strasburg
SP - WSH
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21.
Hyun Jin Ryu
SP - TOR
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22.
Zach Plesac
SP - CLE
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23.
Dinelson Lamet
SP - SD
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24.
Aroldis Chapman
RP - NYY
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25.
Liam Hendriks
RP - CWS
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26.
Raisel Iglesias
RP - LAA
Iglesias bounced back from a sub-par 2019 to post an excellent 2020 season, with a 2.74 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and the lowest walk rate of his career. He'll now move to the Angels where he'll keep his role as a closer. Iglesias's numbers should be solid as usual, and his precise value should hinge on whether the Angels use him in more of a multi-inning role like the Reds historically did (which limited Iglesias's save totals), or deploy him as a more traditional ninth-inning option. Either way, Iglesias will be the Angels' stopper, and hence, should be drafted as a strong top-10 RP option.
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27.
Kyle Hendricks
SP - CHC
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28.
Carlos Carrasco
SP,RP - NYM
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29.
Tyler Glasnow
SP - TB
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30.
Ian Anderson
SP - ATL
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31.
Zack Wheeler
SP - PHI
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32.
Corbin Burnes
RP,SP - MIL
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33.
Zack Greinke
SP - HOU
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34.
Chris Paddack
SP - SD
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35.
Max Fried
SP - ATL
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36.
Jose Berrios
SP - MIN
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37.
Edwin Diaz
RP - NYM
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38.
Patrick Corbin
SP - WSH
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39.
James Karinchak
RP - CLE
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40.
Brad Hand
RP - FA
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41.
Kenley Jansen
RP - LAD
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42.
Jesus Luzardo
RP,SP - OAK
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43.
Lance McCullers Jr.
SP - HOU
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44.
Sixto Sanchez
SP - MIA
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45.
Dylan Bundy
SP - LAA
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46.
Taylor Rogers
RP - MIN
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47.
Ryan Pressly
RP - HOU
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48.
Framber Valdez
SP,RP - HOU
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49.
Pablo Lopez
SP - MIA
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50.
German Marquez
SP - COL
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51.
Charlie Morton
SP - ATL
Morton's 2020 numbers were poor, without question. He was limited to just 38 regular season innings because of a shoulder injury, and pitched to a 4.74 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. His velocity was way down early in the season (when he got hit hard) and trickled up after he returned, but he got back to his normal 95 MPH fastball in the postseason and totaled a 2.70 ERA. Now 37 and with the Braves, the question is whether fantasy managers can write off Morton's down 2020 season considering his sterling post-season, or whether his age and injury history means they should avoid him. In reality, the answer is neither. Morton should still have gas left in the tank considering his playoff run, but should only be drafted as a value, meaning no earlier than a low-end SP3. Grab him there, at which point the risk-reward balance should reach an equilibrium.
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52.
Nick Anderson
RP - TB
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53.
Marco Gonzales
SP - SEA
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54.
Sandy Alcantara
SP - MIA
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55.
Joe Musgrove
SP - PIT
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56.
Devin Williams
RP - MIL
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57.
Julio Urias
SP,RP - LAD
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58.
Chris Sale
SP - BOS
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59.
Frankie Montas
SP - OAK
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60.
Mike Soroka
SP - ATL
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61.
Aaron Civale
SP - CLE
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62.
Craig Kimbrel
RP - CHC
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63.
Shohei Ohtani
DH,SP - LAA
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64.
Alex Colome
RP - FA
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65.
David Price
SP - LAD
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66.
Chris Bassitt
SP - OAK
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67.
Matt Barnes
RP - BOS
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68.
Dustin May
RP,SP - LAD
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69.
Triston McKenzie
SP - CLE
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70.
Andrew Heaney
SP - LAA
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71.
Dallas Keuchel
SP - CWS
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72.
Eduardo Rodriguez
SP - BOS
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73.
Tony Gonsolin
SP - LAD
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74.
Kevin Gausman
SP,RP - SF
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75.
Tyler Mahle
SP - CIN
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76.
Cristian Javier
SP - HOU
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77.
Rafael Montero
RP - SEA
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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78.
Brady Singer
SP - KC
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79.
John Means
SP - BAL
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80.
Hector Neris
RP - PHI
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81.
Seth Lugo
RP,SP - NYM
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82.
Zach Davies
SP - CHC
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83.
Jose Urquidy
SP - HOU
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84.
Zach Eflin
SP - PHI
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85.
Michael Pineda
SP - MIN
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86.
Drew Pomeranz
SP,RP - SD
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87.
Marcus Stroman
SP - NYM
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88.
Mark Melancon
RP - FA
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89.
Nate Pearson
SP - TOR
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90.
Jameson Taillon
SP - PIT
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91.
Kirby Yates
RP - FA
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92.
James Paxton
SP - FA
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93.
Trevor Rosenthal
RP - FA
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94.
Sean Manaea
SP - OAK
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95.
Aaron Bummer
RP - CWS
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96.
Kwang Hyun Kim
RP,SP - STL
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97.
Justus Sheffield
SP - SEA
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98.
MacKenzie Gore
SP - SD
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99.
Corey Kluber
SP - NYY
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100.
Jordan Romano
RP - TOR
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101.
Richard Rodriguez
RP - PIT
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102.
Ryan Yarbrough
SP,RP - TB
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103.
Brandon Kintzler
RP - FA
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104.
Chris Martin
RP - ATL
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105.
Nathan Eovaldi
SP,RP - BOS
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106.
Diego Castillo
SP,RP - TB
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107.
Stefan Crichton
RP - ARI
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108.
Brad Keller
SP - KC
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109.
Spencer Turnbull
SP - DET
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110.
Roberto Osuna
RP - FA
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111.
Griffin Canning
SP - LAA
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112.
Taijuan Walker
SP - FA
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113.
Jordan Montgomery
SP - NYY
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114.
Michael Kopech
SP - CWS
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115.
Matthew Boyd
SP - DET
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116.
Dane Dunning
SP - TEX
Dunning had an interesting seven-start run in 2020. He started out relying heavily on his outstanding slider and his fastball, which led to a strong swinging strike rate and plenty of punchouts in his first few starts. He then abandoned that approach to focus more on his changeup, which led to him missing fewer bats and being less successful. Now with the Rangers, Dunning should get a chance to compete for a rotation spot right out of the gate. He has the tools and skills necessary to be successful, and the draft capital necessary to acquire him should be minimal. He's worth a late-round pick in nearly all formats.
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117.
Masahiro Tanaka
SP - FA
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118.
Alex Reyes
RP - STL
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119.
Elieser Hernandez
SP - MIA
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120.
Pete Fairbanks
RP,SP - TB
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121.
Yimi Garcia
RP - MIA
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122.
Miles Mikolas
SP - STL
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123.
Giovanny Gallegos
RP - STL
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124.
Bryan Garcia
RP - DET
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125.
Drew Smyly
SP - ATL
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126.
Mike Minor
SP - KC
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127.
Mike Mayers
RP - LAA
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128.
Jordan Hicks
RP - STL
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129.
Tanner Houck
SP - BOS
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130.
Noah Syndergaard
SP - NYM
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131.
Justin Verlander
SP - HOU
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132.
Tarik Skubal
SP - DET
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133.
Luis Severino
SP - NYY
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134.
Brandon Workman
RP - FA
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135.
Will Smith
RP - ATL
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136.
Freddy Peralta
SP,RP - MIL
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137.
Tanner Rainey
RP - WSH
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138.
Deivi Garcia
SP - NYY
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139.
Yusei Kikuchi
SP - SEA
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140.
Adam Wainwright
SP - FA
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141.
Madison Bumgarner
SP - ARI
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142.
Jake Odorizzi
SP - FA
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143.
Mitch Keller
SP - PIT
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144.
Daniel Bard
RP - COL
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145.
Greg Holland
RP - KC
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146.
Tejay Antone
SP,RP - CIN
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147.
Domingo German
SP - NYY
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148.
Robbie Ray
SP - TOR
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149.
Hunter Harvey
RP - BAL
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150.
Caleb Smith
SP - ARI
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151.
Josh Lindblom
SP - MIL
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152.
Josh Staumont
RP - KC
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153.
Archie Bradley
RP - PHI
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154.
Alec Mills
SP - CHC
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155.
Casey Mize
SP - DET
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156.
Rich Hill
SP - FA
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157.
Jose Leclerc
RP - TEX
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158.
Luke Weaver
SP - ARI
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159.
Jon Gray
SP - COL
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160.
Amir Garrett
RP - CIN
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161.
Chad Green
SP,RP - NYY
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162.
Ken Giles
RP - FA
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163.
Zack Britton
RP - NYY
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164.
Dean Kremer
SP - BAL
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165.
J.B. Wendelken
RP - OAK
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166.
Tyler Rogers
RP - SF
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167.
Michael Lorenzen
RP,SP - CIN
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168.
Daniel Hudson
RP - WSH
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169.
Garrett Richards
SP,RP - FA
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170.
Ross Stripling
SP,RP - TOR
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171.
Dylan Cease
SP - CWS
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172.
David Peterson
RP - NYM
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173.
Johnny Cueto
SP - SF
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174.
Spencer Howard
SP - PHI
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175.
Adbert Alzolay
SP - CHC
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176.
Adrian Houser
SP,RP - MIL
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177.
A.J. Puk
RP - OAK
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178.
Keegan Akin
SP - BAL
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179.
Austin Gomber
SP,RP - STL
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180.
Lucas Sims
RP - CIN
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181.
Tyler Matzek
SP - ATL
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182.
Blake Treinen
RP - LAD
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183.
J.A. Happ
SP - FA
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184.
Trevor May
RP - NYM
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185.
Carlos Martinez
RP,SP - STL
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186.
Rick Porcello
SP - FA
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187.
Tyler Duffey
RP - MIN
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188.
Daniel Ponce de Leon
SP - STL
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189.
Danny Duffy
SP - KC
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190.
Randy Dobnak
SP - MIN
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191.
Rafael Dolis
RP - TOR
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192.
Brendan McKay
SP - TB
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193.
Dakota Hudson
SP - STL
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194.
Gregory Soto
SP,RP - DET
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195.
Emilio Pagan
RP - SD
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196.
Kyle Wright
SP - ATL
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197.
Merrill Kelly
SP - ARI
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198.
Cal Quantrill
SP,RP - CLE
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199.
Jake Diekman
RP - OAK
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200.
Brusdar Graterol
RP,SP - LAD
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201.
Jeremy Jeffress
RP - FA
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202.
Logan Webb
SP - SF
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203.
Anthony DeSclafani
SP - SF
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204.
Tomoyuki Sugano
INT
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205.
Sean Doolittle
RP - FA
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206.
Brent Suter
RP,SP - MIL
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207.
Forrest Whitley
SP - HOU
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208.
Garrett Crochet
SP,RP - CWS
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209.
Luis Patino
SP,RP - TB
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210.
Andrew Miller
RP - STL
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211.
Kendall Graveman
SP,RP - SEA
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212.
Carlos Rodon
SP - FA
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213.
Matt Foster
RP,SP - CWS
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214.
Mike Foltynewicz
SP - FA
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215.
Joey Lucchesi
SP - SD
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216.
Kyle Freeland
SP - COL
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217.
Jose Quintana
SP,RP - FA
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218.
Jesse Hahn
RP - KC
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219.
Emmanuel Clase
RP - CLE
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220.
Vince Velasquez
SP,RP - PHI
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221.
Kyle Gibson
SP - TEX
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222.
Jonathan Hernandez
RP - TEX
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223.
Yusmeiro Petit
RP - FA
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224.
Alex Wood
SP,RP - SF
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225.
Jose Cisnero
RP - DET
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226.
Cole Hamels
SP - FA
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227.
Anthony Bass
RP - FA
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228.
Matt Magill
RP - SEA
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229.
Tyler Clippard
RP,SP - FA
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230.
Jon Lester
SP - FA
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231.
Matt Manning
SP - DET
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232.
Kris Bubic
SP - KC
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233.
Tony Watson
RP - FA
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234.
JT Brubaker
SP - PIT
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235.
Ty Buttrey
RP - LAA
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236.
Joakim Soria
RP - FA
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237.
Mike Clevinger
SP - SD
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238.
Dan Altavilla
RP - SD
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239.
Adrian Morejon
SP,RP - SD
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240.
Corbin Martin
SP - ARI
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241.
Trevor Rogers
SP - MIA
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242.
Josh Fleming
RP,SP - TB
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243.
Jonathan Loaisiga
RP,SP - NYY
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244.
Kevin Ginkel
RP - ARI
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245.
Hansel Robles
RP - MIN
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246.
Joe Jimenez
RP - DET
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247.
Ian Kennedy
RP - FA
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248.
Keone Kela
RP - FA
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249.
Craig Stammen
RP - SD
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250.
Antonio Senzatela
SP - COL
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251.
Josh James
RP,SP - HOU
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252.
Shane Greene
RP - FA
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253.
Steven Matz
SP,RP - NYM
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254.
Bruce Zimmermann
SP - BAL
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255.
Tommy Hunter
RP - FA
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256.
Mychal Givens
RP - COL
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257.
Chad Kuhl
SP - PIT
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258.
Devin Smeltzer
SP,RP - MIN
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259.
Scott Barlow
RP - KC
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260.
Brett Anderson
SP - FA
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261.
Yonny Chirinos
SP,RP - TB
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262.
Joe Smith
RP - HOU
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263.
Matt Strahm
SP,RP - SD
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264.
Clarke Schmidt
SP - NYY
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265.
Ryan Brasier
RP - BOS
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266.
Jeff Samardzija
SP - FA
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267.
Reyes Moronta
RP - SF
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268.
Scott Oberg
RP - COL
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269.
Anibal Sanchez
SP - FA
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270.
Chris Archer
SP - FA
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271.
Reynaldo Lopez
SP - CWS
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272.
Bryse Wilson
SP,RP - ATL
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273.
Logan Gilbert
SP - SEA
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274.
Julio Teheran
SP - FA
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275.
Bud Norris
RP - FA
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276.
Daniel Norris
SP,RP - DET
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277.
Jose Alvarado
RP - PHI
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278.
Sergio Romo
RP - FA
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279.
Homer Bailey
SP - FA
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280.
A.J. Minter
RP - ATL
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281.
Justin Dunn
SP - SEA
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282.
Mike Fiers
SP - FA
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283.
Edward Cabrera
SP - MIA
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284.
Trevor Williams
SP - FA
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285.
Enoli Paredes
SP,RP - HOU
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286.
Tyler Anderson
SP - FA
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287.
Darwinzon Hernandez
RP - BOS
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288.
Nick Pivetta
SP,RP - BOS
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289.
Steven Brault
SP - PIT
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290.
Michael King
SP,RP - NYY
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291.
Rowan Wick
RP - CHC
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292.
Felix Pena
SP,RP - LAA
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293.
Austin Voth
SP - WSH
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294.
Ryan Helsley
RP - STL
|
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295.
Jaime Barria
SP - LAA
|
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296.
Nick Wittgren
RP - CLE
|
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297.
Brent Honeywell Jr.
SP - TB
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