Fantasy Baseball Player Notes
2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Notes
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7.
Kenley Jansen
It feels like Jansen has been on the verge of losing his job at several points over the last two seasons, but he continues to receive nearly every save opportunity for the Dodgers. But Jansen is far from the dominant reliever he was in his prime, as his patented cutter has gone from 94 MPH in 2016 to just 90.9 MPH last year. The Dodgers have plenty of depth behind Jansen, including Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, Joe Kelly, and Corey Knebel, so Jansen's leash probably won't be all that long. At the same time, Jansen will certainly be the closer coming into the season and has a lengthy track record and a large contract. In today's day and age, that makes him a fairly desirable fantasy closer, despite the concerns.
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8.
Brad Hand
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.
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10.
Trevor Rosenthal
After missing the 2018 season and most of the 2019 season, Rosenthal bounced back in a huge way last year. He stepped in as the Royals' closer, notching seven saves, and then was unhittable with the Padres after a mid-year trade. He parlayed his success into a one-year contract with the A's, where all signs point to him being the undisputed closer. Rosenthal was an outstanding reliever in his prime and once had back-to-back 45-save (or better) seasons. And his raw stuff looked excellent last year, as he totaled the best strikeout rate of his career. If he stays healthy, he has a shot at being a top-5 closer, but you can draft him a little later than that and likely make a profit.
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19.
Alex Colome
Colome has been a quality major league reliever for year, but last year, managed to drop his ERA down to a silly 0.81 and his WHIP below 1.00 for the first time in his career. His success was largely on the back of increased movement on his cutter (which induced a ton of weak contact, but which was also less of a strikeout pitch, leading to a drop in strikeouts), as well as Yasmani Grandal's pitch-framing skills. He'll now move to Minnesota where he'll likely form some sort of committee with Taylor Rogers. He's worth drafting, but only very late, and with the expectation that he won't pile on a ton of saves.
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22.
Richard Rodriguez
So long as he remains with the Pirates, Rodriguez is likely to be the closer after locking down four saves last year. He's been a quality reliever for a few years in a row now, including last year when he put up a 2.70 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP with plenty of strikeouts. There's been speculation that the Pirates will look to deal Rodriguez before the season begins. But until and unless they do, he's a decent late-round selection who will likely total a handful of saves until he's inevitably dealt mid-season.
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32.
Greg Holland
Holland re-signed with the Royals after an outstanding season, during which he put up an ERA under 2.00 and a WHIP below 1.00 for the first time since 2014. He'll almost certainly begin the year as the closer, but he's unlikely to stay in the role for the entire season. Even if he's not dealt to a contender by the trade deadline, his walk rate is surely to be closer to the 5.3/9 innings that he put up his previous four seasons, rather than the 2.22 he managed last year. Draft Holland late as someone who can chip in saves early, but be prepared to hit the waiver wire later in the year.
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35.
Joakim Soria
The Diamondbacks gave Soria a one-year, $3.5 million deal after his successful stint with the A's. Soria fixed his home run problem from 2019, which was an outlier for his career anyway, and his 2020 numbers looked much more in line with his typical output. Soria hasn't been named the closer, but given that he has totaled at least 16 saves in eight separate seasons, it's a strong bet that he'll begin the year in the ninth inning. The Diamondbacks aren't expected to be competitive, so if you do draft him, bank on him being traded to another team, and into another role, by mid-season.
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38.
Archie Bradley
Bradley joined the Phillies on a one-year deal after a successful 2020 season with Arizona and Philadelphia. He performed admirably over the past two seasons as the Diamondbacks' closer, and last year put up a very solid 2.95 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 24.7% strikeout rate. The Phillies were open about their desire to add some velocity to their bullpen and Bradley does just that. But although Joe Girardi has indicated he'd like set roles for the Phillies' bullpen, those roles may not be decided until close to the end of spring training. Bradley is worth drafting, but only late, as he may go back to his former role as a setup man.
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42.
Chris Martin
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51.
Adam Ottavino
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53.
Nick Wittgren
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54.
Kwang Hyun Kim
If you want upside with a late-round pitcher, you're looking in the wrong place with Kim. Although he put up a 1.62 ERA and 1.07 WHIP last year, his xFIP and SIERA were each about three runs higher than his ERA. He also struck out just 5.54 batters per nine innings, and never showed much strikeout potential in the KBO. That said, for a pitcher who is basically free in drafts, he offers some decent stability, and is worth taking late if you have an otherwise strong staff, particularly with strikeouts. Back tightness may put him on the IL to start the year, but there does not appear to be any long-term concerns.
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59.
Jake Diekman
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63.
Ian Kennedy
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70.
Garrett Richards
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72.
Rafael Dolis
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75.
Carlos Martinez
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80.
Reyes Moronta
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81.
Matt Bush
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83.
Sean Doolittle
After missing most of 2020 with various injuries, Doolittle took a small one-year deal from the Reds in his hope of a bounceback season. He's been trending the wrong way for a couple of seasons now, but he did tally at least 24 saves in each season between 2017 and 2019. Doolittle is the only one in the Reds bullpen with much closing experience, so if he performs well this spring, he could win the ninth-inning job. But there's a ton of uncertainty, and given Doolittle's small contract, it's far from a sure thing that he sees any save opportunities in 2021.
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84.
Brandon Workman
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88.
Brandon Kintzler
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89.
Keone Kela
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95.
Daniel Ponce de Leon
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98.
Andrew Miller
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104.
Yusmeiro Petit
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106.
Roberto Osuna
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110.
Kyle Crick
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111.
Mychal Givens
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122.
Evan Marshall
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125.
Matt Strahm
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126.
John Gant
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127.
Sergio Romo
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129.
Cesar Valdez
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130.
Jesse Hahn
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131.
Dellin Betances
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135.
Vince Velasquez
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145.
Andrew Chafin
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148.
Ty Buttrey
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149.
Joe Smith
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150.
Hansel Robles
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151.
Collin McHugh
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158.
Tyler Clippard
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159.
Felix Pena
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163.
John Curtiss
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164.
Shane Greene
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166.
Tony Watson
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169.
Jairo Diaz
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172.
Austin Adams
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180.
Jason Adam
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183.
Pedro Strop
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188.
Cam Bedrosian
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189.
Kyle McGowin
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190.
Aaron Sanchez
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191.
Joe Kelly
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192.
Trevor Cahill
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195.
Chaz Roe
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196.
Steve Cishek
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198.
Jeremy Jeffress
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199.
Tyler Chatwood
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207.
Blake Parker
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208.
Josh Tomlin
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209.
Steven Brault
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212.
Bud Norris
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215.
Wander Suero
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217.
Ryan Tepera
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220.
Brad Peacock
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223.
Cody Reed
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225.
Jose Urena
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231.
Carl Edwards Jr.
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234.
Kyle Zimmer
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235.
Grant Dayton
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236.
David Hale
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245.
Tyler Webb
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247.
Zack Godley
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251.
Junior Guerra
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254.
Hunter Wood
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257.
Chasen Shreve
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258.
Daniel Norris
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259.
Shawn Armstrong
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264.
Rogelio Armenteros
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265.
Jeurys Familia
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267.
Robert Stock
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269.
Heath Hembree
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270.
Adam Plutko
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271.
Wade Davis
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272.
Matt Andriese
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273.
Brandon Finnegan
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275.
Eric Yardley
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278.
Keury Mella
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280.
Anthony Swarzak
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286.
Jace Fry
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287.
Marcus Walden
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299.
Jason Vargas
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300.
Buck Farmer
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303.
Clayton Richard
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304.
Jasseel De La Cruz
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306.
Ariel Jurado
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310.
Ryan Weber
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311.
James Hoyt
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315.
Chris Mazza
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316.
Dan Winkler
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319.
Derek Holland
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320.
Andrew Cashner
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322.
Jimmy Nelson
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323.
Robert Gsellman
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324.
Tommy Milone
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325.
Ross Detwiler
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326.
Yency Almonte
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329.
Edwin Jackson
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332.
David Robertson
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338.
Nate Jones
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341.
Shun Yamaguchi
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345.
Glenn Sparkman
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346.
Travis Bergen
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347.
Shelby Miller
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350.
Burch Smith
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351.
Wade LeBlanc
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355.
Yoshi Hirano
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356.
Kelvin Herrera
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358.
Scott Alexander
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360.
Colin Rea
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361.
Austin Brice
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365.
Dan Altavilla
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371.
Jake Newberry
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372.
Tommy Hunter
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375.
Nik Turley
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376.
Joe Palumbo
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378.
Oliver Drake
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379.
Colten Brewer
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390.
Taylor Williams
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396.
Ryan Buchter
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401.
Sam Delaplane
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402.
Tony Cingrani
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403.
Dillon Maples
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406.
Arodys Vizcaino
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409.
Brandon Morrow
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411.
Ryne Harper
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417.
Brad Boxberger
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418.
Stephen Tarpley
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419.
Blaine Hardy
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422.
Adam Morgan
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423.
Nick Tropeano
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424.
Andrew Triggs
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425.
Nick Vincent
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429.
DJ Johnson
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430.
Nick Ramirez
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432.
Austin Pruitt
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433.
Daniel Zamora
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439.
Steven Fuentes
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441.
Corey Oswalt
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443.
Reymin Guduan
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444.
Edgar Santana
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446.
Silvino Bracho
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447.
Brendan McCurry
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454.
Luke Farrell
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455.
Fernando Abad
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456.
Wei-Yin Chen
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457.
Jacob Rhame
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459.
Branden Kline
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461.
Fernando Romero
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465.
Francis Martes
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467.
Dovydas Neverauskas
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468.
Jesse Chavez
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470.
AJ Ramos
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471.
Adam Warren
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472.
A.J. Cole
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475.
Aaron Barrett
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477.
Derek Law
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480.
Brady Lail
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481.
R.J. Alaniz
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483.
Hunter Strickland
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484.
Ricardo Sanchez
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487.
Neftali Feliz
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488.
Brooks Kriske
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489.
Gabriel Ynoa
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491.
Taylor Guilbeau
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492.
Sam Freeman
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495.
Ben Taylor
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498.
Seth Frankoff
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499.
Nick Goody
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502.
Braden Shipley
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503.
Wily Peralta
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504.
Matt Hall
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506.
Jason Hammel
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513.
Edinson Volquez
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516.
Cody Carroll
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519.
Kyle Keller
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520.
Chad Sobotka
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527.
Hector Perez
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528.
Sam Gaviglio
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529.
Jesse Biddle
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530.
Edgar Garcia
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531.
Mike Kickham
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533.
Cy Sneed
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534.
Francisco Liriano
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539.
Tyler Bashlor
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540.
Jacob Waguespack
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543.
Ian Gibaut
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544.
Patrick Weigel
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545.
Robinson Leyer
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547.
Sal Romano
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549.
Juan Minaya
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551.
Ramon Rosso
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552.
Franklyn Kilome
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553.
Juan Nicasio
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557.
Dakota Bacus
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558.
Carlos Sanabria
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564.
Ian Krol
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567.
Kyle Barraclough
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569.
Jose Mujica
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573.
Scott Blewett
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578.
Josh Osich
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579.
James Pazos
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584.
Javy Guerra
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586.
Chance Adams
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587.
Kevin McCarthy
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589.
Joe Biagini
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590.
Brad Brach
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592.
Erasmo Ramirez
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593.
Joe Harvey
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596.
Luke Bard
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599.
Joe Gatto
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600.
Bryan Shaw
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602.
Jorge Guzman
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605.
Thomas Eshelman
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608.
Steven Wright
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612.
Dereck Rodriguez
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613.
Justin Grimm
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615.
Phil Pfeifer
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618.
Josh D. Smith
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619.
Tayron Guerrero
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620.
Jimmy Cordero
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621.
Matt Reynolds
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622.
Dan Otero
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623.
Mike Shawaryn
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624.
Artie Lewicki
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626.
Jared Hughes
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628.
Andrew Suarez
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