Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes

Position

Team

Max Scherzer Note
	9. Max Scherzer SP Scherzer had a decent season for a mortal, but for someone with his career track record, it was a major disappointment. His 3.74 ERA was his highest since 2012, his 1.38 WHIP the highest of his career, and his 7.8% walk percentage his worst in a decade. Scherzer still struck out plenty of batters but entering his age-37 season and with a ton of mileage on his arm, it's only fair to accept that the old Scherzer is gone for good. But though he may not be a consensus top-three starter anymore, he's still perfectly capable of being a fantasy ace. After all, Scherzer's velocity hasn't declined much, and his 31.2% strikeout rate was tied for 10th among starters. Scherzer likely won't reach 200 innings pitched again and his ERA seems destined to remain above 3.00 going forward, but he's far from someone to avoid in fantasy drafts. 3 weeks ago

Stephen Strasburg Note
	23. 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. 3 weeks ago

Patrick Corbin Note
	44. 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. 3 weeks ago

Brad Hand Note
	47. Brad Hand RP Hand joins the Nationals on a one-year deal after Cleveland declined his option. His velocity declined a bit last season, but the league's collective lack of interest in Hand is surprising, given that he's coming off one of the best seasons of his career, led the league in saves, has been a top-10 reliever over the last five seasons, and is a lefty. Dave Martinez wants Hand to be the Nationals' closer based on his comments, but it's unclear whether he'll be the sole option. The Nationals barely have another lefty reliever in their bullpen, let alone a reliable one, so chances are that Hand will be deployed earlier in the game if the opposing team has multiple left-handed hitters due up. All that to say that Hand is a reliable reliever who you should draft for his overall numbers, but he may provide fewer saves than most traditional closers. 3 weeks ago

Tanner Rainey Note
	151. Tanner Rainey RP

Daniel Hudson Note
	217. Daniel Hudson RP

Will Harris Note
	232. Will Harris RP

Jon Lester Note
	261. Jon Lester SP

Wander Suero Note
	301. Wander Suero RP

Kyle McGowin Note
	319. Kyle McGowin RP

Kyle Finnegan Note
	356. Kyle Finnegan RP

Austin Voth Note
	409. Austin Voth SP

Cade Cavalli Note
	440. Cade Cavalli

Joe Ross Note
	472. Joe Ross SP,RP

Rogelio Armenteros Note
	475. Rogelio Armenteros SP

Jackson Rutledge Note
	503. Jackson Rutledge SP

Erick Fedde Note
	516. Erick Fedde SP,RP

Jefry Rodriguez Note
	626. Jefry Rodriguez SP,RP

Ryne Harper Note
	683. Ryne Harper RP

Luis Avilan Note
	707. Luis Avilan RP

Steven Fuentes Note
	713. Steven Fuentes RP

Aaron Barrett Note
	749. Aaron Barrett RP

Seth Romero Note
	812. Seth Romero RP

Sam Clay Note
	826. Sam Clay RP

Dakota Bacus Note
	833. Dakota Bacus RP

Paolo Espino Note
	852. Paolo Espino P

Javy Guerra Note
	860. Javy Guerra RP

Ben Braymer Note
	878. Ben Braymer P