Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
![]() |
24.
Kyle Hendricks
SP
Hendricks is the Rodney Dangerfield of fantasy pitchers in that he never gets the respect he deserves. He's had an ERA above 3.46 once in his career and he's never had a WHIP higher than 1.19. Yes, his strikeout rate is never going to help fantasy managers, but Dave Ross let him go deeper into games last year (Hendricks' 81 innings pitched were among the most in MLB), so he should make up for his lack of strikeout rate with some additional innings. The Cubs probably won't be a great team but the NL Central has mostly weak offenses, so Hendricks should find his way to enough wins to make a difference. Ignore the fact that he outperforms his expected metrics every year. Hendricks is a reliable, high-end SP3 for a fantasy team. Just be sure to take care of strikeouts elsewhere.
|
![]() |
62.
Craig Kimbrel
RP
As a whole, Kimbrel's 2020 numbers were abysmal. A 5.28 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and a walk rate of 17.4%. And yet, there were some encouraging signs. Not only did his strikeout rate bounce back to 40.6%, but he was actually an elite pitcher after his first four outings. How elite? He pitched to a 1.42 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP, and stuck out 53.1% of the batters he faced. It wasn't perfect, as Kimbrel still walked five batters per nine innings over that stretch. But he showed that he still has some has left in the tank. Although he never reclaimed the closer's job despite his strong finish, it's a good bet that the Cubs hand him the ninth-inning role to start, as they try to rebuild his trade value in the final year of his deal. That means Kimbrel should at least get save chances for the first several weeks of the season, and, as such, should be drafted as low-end second closer with just a modicum of upside.
|
![]() |
101.
Zach Davies
SP
Davies has quietly put together two quality seasons, with a 3.55 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 2019, and a 2.73 ERA and 1.07 WHIP last year. Notably, he started throwing more changeups in 2020, which led both to an increased swinging strike rate and strikeout rate. But his xERA was still 5.01, and although he routinely outperforms his expected stats, it's a reminder not to get too high on a pitcher who amounts to a command specialist. The upside is that after a trade to the Cubs, he'll face mostly weak offenses, which should help to boost his floor a bit.
|
![]() |
147.
Adbert Alzolay
SP
|
![]() |
199.
Brandon Workman
RP
|
![]() |
215.
Rowan Wick
RP
|
![]() |
218.
Alec Mills
SP,RP
|
![]() |
265.
Andrew Chafin
RP
|
![]() |
279.
Jake Arrieta
SP
|
![]() |
303.
Ryan Tepera
RP
|
![]() |
325.
Pedro Strop
RP
|
![]() |
358.
Jason Adam
RP
|
![]() |
383.
Brailyn Marquez
RP
|
![]() |
436.
Trevor Williams
SP
|
![]() |
456.
Robert Stock
RP
|
![]() |
485.
Dan Winkler
RP
|
![]() |
544.
Brad Wieck
RP
|
![]() |
556.
Justin Steele
SP
|
![]() |
570.
Jonathan Holder
RP
|
![]() |
580.
Kyle Ryan
RP
|
![]() |
588.
Keegan Thompson
SP
|
![]() |
601.
Cory Abbott
SP
|
![]() |
610.
Shelby Miller
SP,RP
|
![]() |
658.
Tyson Miller
P,SP
|
![]() |
675.
Dillon Maples
RP
|
![]() |
694.
Adam Morgan
RP
|
![]() |
710.
Trevor Megill
RP
|
![]() |
790.
Manuel Rodriguez
RP
|
![]() |
838.
Rex Brothers
RP
|
![]() |
839.
Kohl Stewart
SP,RP
|
![]() |
865.
Joe Biagini
RP
|
![]() |
909.
James Bourque
RP
|
![]() |
910.
CD Pelham
RP
|