Jacob deGrom

Once again, Jacob deGrom is the pitcher on the board with the wildest range of outcomes possible. If someone could guarantee his health, an argument could be made to take him in the first round. Instead, we have reality, and the reality is that deGrom started only 11 games and pitched 64 1/3 innings, both of which are lower numbers than in the truncated 2020 season. In those 64 innings, he struck out 102 batters using his elite arsenal of pitches. Batters did hit him a little harder when they did make contact, and he had a career-high 1.26 HR/9, but the rest of his Statcast profile still shines bright red. In the offseason, the Texas Rangers handed the 34-year-old a five-year, $185 million contract to anchor their staff. Globe Life Park is a better hitter's park than City Field, but when it comes to deGrom, the only factor that impacts his fantasy value is availability.

Jacob deGrom impresses in strong Cactus League debut

Jacob deGrom threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts while allowing two hits in his first Cactus League action.

Fantasy Impact

In the most highly-anticipated debut of Spring Training, the 34-year-old touched 100 mph twice while his fastball sat in the 97 to 99 mph range. deGrom remains the ultimate wild card in fantasy drafts as he can be the best pitcher on the planet, but he comes with so much injury history, including the troublesome side this spring. deGrom is the face of "high-risk, high-reward" in drafts.