Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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2.
Gerrit Cole
SP
Cole was pretty much as advertised in his first season with the Yankees. His ERA rose a tad, as did his home run rate as expected, and his strikeout rate fell a bit, though it remained at an absurdly high level. And, for the most part, all of his expected metrics fell off a tad from his 2019 season. But Cole's numbers from that season were so dominating that he could withstand plenty of regression and still be one of the best pitchers in fantasy. As such, he'll head into 2021 close to the way he came into the 2020 season: a dominant, high-strikeout, low-walk starter who will throw plenty of innings and who is more likely to finish as the top overall fantasy pitcher than he is to finish outside the top-10. It's a matter of personal preference between Cole and Jacob deGrom as the first pitcher off the board, but neither should fall outside the top-10 overall picks on draft day.
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25.
Aroldis Chapman
RP
Chapman missed time last year because he was diagnosed with COVID-19, but he was largely the same pitcher as always when he was on the mount. He struck out 22 batters in his 11 2/3 innings pitched and allowed just six hits. His velocity may be slightly below what it was at its peak, but it's still elite, and he appears to have plenty left in the tank heading into his age-33 season. He'll again close for one of the best teams in baseball, and although he's never had a 40-save season, he should easily surpass 30 and be one of the top closers drafted in fantasy.
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64.
Corey Kluber
SP
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88.
Jameson Taillon
SP
Taillon has undergone Tommy John surgery twice, and has totaled just 37 1/3 innings over the last two years. And really, he's had only one truly notable year, which was in 2018. But what separated Taillon that year was his outstanding slider, which not only performed exceedingly well, but also buoyed the effectiveness of the rest of his pitches. Now with the Yankees, Taillon has plenty of upside. But, as always, health remains the concern, and is the reason you shouldn't draft him until you've filled out most of your staff.
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94.
Jordan Montgomery
SP
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123.
Luis Severino
SP
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134.
Domingo German
SP
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148.
Deivi Garcia
SP
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157.
Chad Green
RP
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169.
Zack Britton
RP
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221.
Jonathan Loaisiga
RP
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269.
Darren O'Day
RP
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280.
Clarke Schmidt
RP
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351.
Justin Wilson
RP
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439.
Michael King
RP
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444.
Jhoulys Chacin
RP
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578.
Luis Cessa
RP
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660.
Adam Warren
RP
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661.
Nick Nelson
RP
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684.
Reggie McClain
RP
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687.
Josh Smith
RP
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713.
Brooks Kriske
RP
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743.
Nestor Cortes Jr.
RP
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760.
Tyler Lyons
RP
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762.
Albert Abreu
RP
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