Top 75 Prospects for 2021 Fantasy Baseball

February 21, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 27 Comments

Things get a little weirder here, by which I mean the difference between the 75th prospect and the 150th prospect largely comes down to timelines and tastes. I don’t have some big introductory explanation here. I trust you grasp the premise and intend to skip this paragraph, but if I still have your eyes for the moment, I’ll say I imagine a start-up build for a 15-team, 2-catcher dynasty league when parsing through the lists and try to explain when a player’s value varies based on settings. If you’re in a contention window, your rankings should look a bit different than they’d look on the front end of a rebuild. I’ll flag some players along the way for whom the disparity in value can get especially large from build to build.

Learn more about our 2025 Fantasy Baseball Subscriptions!

The best daily/weekly player rankings/projections (hitters, starters, and relievers) for each of the next 7-10 days + next calendar week starting Friday. Kick-ass DFS lineup optimizer and projections for DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo!.

I don’t have enough spam, give me the Razzball email newsletter!

Weekly Razzball news delivered straight to your inbox.

See all of today’s starting lineups

#	MLB Starting Lineups For Wed 5/14
	ARI \| ATH \| ATL \| BAL \| BOS \| CHC \| CHW \| CIN \| CLE \| COL \| DET \| HOU \| KC \| LAA \| LAD \| MIA \| MIL \| MIN \| NYM \| NYY \| PHI \| PIT \| SD \| SEA \| SF \| STL \| TB \| TEX \| TOR \| WSH \| OAK

Hitter Profiles: What is the Catch?

February 20, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball | 4 Comments

by: Jeremy Brewer

Catcher is a unique position in the fantasy game. We sometimes play with a single catcher making the pool reasonably deeper while other times strapping ourselves with limited options in two catcher leagues. The one thing the position is not known for is augmenting the lineup with flexibility. A few years ago, the versatility and intrigue of speed from the catcher position drew us to Austin Barnes as he rose through the Dodger’s system. While that may not have panned out with a fantasy superstar, when any player comes along in that mold it forces us to look at what else the catcher position can provide. The last two seasons have introduced us to two unique players behind (and around) the dish in Austin Nola and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Looking at Yahoo eligibility Nola will enter the season with C, 1B and 2B capabilities while Kiner-Falefa will carry C, 3B and SS. Now not all leagues are as forgiving as Yahoo and Isiah did not log a game at catcher in 2020 instead splitting time on the left side of the infield where he is expected to be for the 2021 season. Alternatively, Nola saw 44 of 46 games played behind the dish. Regardless of how they fall in your league, there is bound to be intrigue in these two versatile players.

The Saturday Morning Post: The Leftovers

February 20, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball | 10 Comments

by: JKJ

Howdy-do, Razzballers. The snow wasn't exactly as apocalyptic as initially feared, but we did get quite a bit for what we're used to down here in the Dirty Souf. Needless to say, as we're half-drowning in snow, Spring Training is starting up in other parts of the country. Games kick off Feb. 28. Pretty much all free agents worth a damn are signed by now, so this will be my last "The Saturday Morning Post" (in name only), as I'll be transitioning to covering the weekly "Ambulance Chasers" column, which will drop at the same time next week. All injuries I deem to have fantasy impact will be covered, with as-in-depth-as-possible hot takes on who shall benefit from said injuries. Spring Training is fun and all, but someone always does something stupid and screws over fantasy owners before games even begin for real. Anyhoodles, for the last time this offseason, here are the sexiest nomads of the last week:

Turnering Over the Page

February 19, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball | 4 Comments

by: Jay

With Justin Turner resigning with the Dodgers almost a week ago, the many rumors and possibilities of departure were confirmed to be moot. While there were intriguing destinations to be had, with rumors especially focused on Milwaukee (it's pronounced "mill-e-wah-que" which is Algonquin for "the good land"), the little part of me that cared really wasn't in doubt. Los Angeles is a big fan of Turner, and the feeling was always mutual, and with the Dodgers, he's been an overall boon considering the long and interesting path to lineup anchor. Hitting .292/.369/.469 with the Dodgers overall and producing a good but unspectacular COVID showing hitting .307/.400/.460 in 42 games on their way to a championship, there are several ripple effects from this resigning that while expected, still should be analyzed and contextualized. Kinda like how I make love.

Should You Catch These ADP Fallers?

February 19, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball | 12 Comments

by: Torres

I was sitting at my computer and ready to write a beautiful ballad about Sixto Sanchez called "Sixto More the Richer," when I came across a tweet from Ryan Bloomfield of BaseballHQ that changed my day forever. The Bloom Board y'all. Everybody's favorite board since the Ouija Board. Similar to how Ouija Boards allow you to talk to the dead, I heard this Bloom Board audibly say "Write an article on these ADP fallers." Should I be creeped out? Am I experiencing psychosis? The answer to both is "possibly" but I think even a scared, psychotic person is capable of writing a decent fantasy baseball article. Let's look into my crystal ball and see whether a few of these discounted players are going to return value on their ADP this season.

Is Jung Real Or A Freud?

February 19, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Daily Notes | 166 Comments

by: Grey

[brid autoplay="true" video="707875" player="10951" title="Razzball%202021%20Draft%20Kit%20%203rd%20Base" duration="154" description="" uploaddate="2021-01-25 17:00:59" thumbnailurl="https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/thumb/707875_t_1611622408.png" contentUrl="https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/9233/sd/707875.mp4"] Been a while since I gave you a roundup of news, so guess what? Here's a roundup of news, or in the case of Josh Jung, a guy who I added to the rankings. First off, what Prospect Itch said previously, “The best Texas prospect since Gallo, Josh Jung brings full-field power, plate discipline, and a plus hit tool along with functional defense at the hot corner. I’m trying to acquire him in my 20-team OBP league and suggest anyone seeking potentially affordable third base help consider the same in their leagues. Speaking of affordable, anyone know a reasonably priced hitman to take out Grey?” Okay, that’s not cool. Hold on one second, are you telling me the Rangers have a decent prospect? I call BS. I thought the Rangers gave up after finally figuring out how to spell Saltalamacchia. Oh, I know, this is the Rangers just trying to sneak Michael Young back out at 3rd base, and spelling his name differently. Jung, you’re nothing but a Freud! Podcaster Ralph told me the other day, he thinks Jung is a 25-homer, 3-steal, .280 hitter. Not sure how much time Jung sees this year, but the draft season is still Jung! Sorry, hashtag never again. I added Josh Jung into my top 20 3rd basemen for 2021 fantasy baseball with the projections: 21/6/25/.272/1 in 170 ABs, but obviously those could go up if he breaks camp. Anyway, here's what else I saw this offseason for 2021 fantasy baseball:

Prospect Security Check: Nolan Gorman

February 18, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 9 Comments

by: Hobbs

188 is a composite number with six divisors. It is also featured in the name of a main belt asteroid called "188 Menippe." If you're like me, you just pronounced that in your head as "many pee pee." 150 is composite as well, and is in fact the sum of eight consecutive prime numbers ranging from seven to 31. It also represents the number of times per year in which my car's warranty unexpectedly expires (or so I'm told). But I know you probably don't care too much about Menippe, or my car's warranty, and instead you're wondering what the significance is of these two numbers. Well, to date, Cardinals third base prospect Nolan Gorman has played 188 career games in professional baseball. 150 have come above Rookie ball. That's less than a full MLB season. For a power-first, left-handed bat drafted out of high school, that's too small of a sample size to properly deduce what caliber of player Gorman is going to become. For a player of his prototype, it is reasonable to expect a steeper learning curve at every Minor League level along the way. Everyone needs to learn to adjust as a young player in the farm, but for a prospect with 60-grade power and no history of experiencing prolonged failure as a hitter in his life until reaching Single-A, that game of adjustments will be far bumpier. As a result, today we're going to take an in-depth look under the hood and throw our TSA shirts on -- and I'll let you know if Gorman is a player to pack for your journey through dynasty dominance.

How to Play Fantasy Baseball

February 18, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball | 15 Comments

by: everywhereblair

It's happening: you got your quarantine haircut, got a couple of doses of Moderna in your arm, you've put on the spray tan, and are still double masking. You're ready to emerge into the world! 2021, here you come! And to go along with the "New Year, New You!" mentality, you're finally -- finally! -- going to cross that last item off your bucket list: Join a fantasy baseball league. Maybe you've played fantasy football or basketball before, and you are just nervous about committing to a new sport. Maybe you're a daily player on Draft Kings or Fanduel, but you're nervous to commit to a 162-game season. Maybe you just like having three hypotheticals before making a decision. In any case, you're in the right place! Let's get you ready to play fantasy baseball.

AL-Only, 12 Team Draft Recap or: How Did I Draft A Mixed League Offense In An AL-Only League — Plus, Our NFBC Signups!

February 18, 2021 | Our Leagues | 99 Comments

by: Grey

I'm having this weird feeling. It's not gas; I know what that feels like. It's not anger that my neighbor planted a tree that smells like semen on my property line. It's...I think...happiness? I love this team. I never love my AL-Only teams. Sometimes, I'm okay with them. Sometimes, I'm unhappy with them but pretend to be okay with them, like a sad clown with a painted-on smile. But love an AL-Only team? No one good is even in the AL. What's going on with me? Something's comin' over, mmm mmm. Something's comin' over, mmm mmm. Something's comin' over me. My baby's got a secret -- he loves his AL-Only team, which I sing while wearing a bridal gown as I roll around on an empty stage. I also cut out each player's name I drafted and throw them at my face like wedding rice. Is this metaphor still going, you ask yourself. Yes, it is! Can't I be happy? So, I drafted against Scott White at CBS, a bunch of Razzball guys and a few 'perts from other sites. This league is deep so hold onto ye olde hat. (If you want a shallower league, play against me and hundreds of your closest buddies in the Razzball Commenter Leagues. Or closet buddies, if you’re reading fast and/or experimenting.) Anyway, here’s my 12-team AL-Only team and some thoughts:

SAGNOF: That Catcher to Steal On

February 17, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, SAGNOF | 9 Comments

by: Kerry Klug

Being a former junior-varsity back-up catcher with a pop time of about 5 and a caught stealing percentage of 0% -- I have the perfect qualifications to write this column. Pop time for the un-initiated is another in a long line of new-age states that we nerds are using to quantify the game of baseball. The long and short of this stat is quite simple: it reflects how quickly a catcher can grab the ball from his glove and whip it to a certain base to catch the stealing runner. The lower the number, the better! However -- that doesn’t tell the whole story of a catcher’s success rate at throwing out a runner. You can have a pop time of half a second and throw it over the second baseman's head every single time and you quickly realize why you never made it to the varsity back-up catcher level. For the purpose of this article I took a look at each team’s projected starting catcher (or catchers) and ranked them via their 2019 pop time (couldn’t find 2020’s data -- sorry!) and paired this with their caught stealing percentage from 2019 and 2020 combined. There are some guys (like Ryan Jeffers) who didn’t record a pop time in 2019 so they’re only being judged on their caught-stealing rate. Unfair? Maybe. Happening anyway? Oh you betcha! Below I’ve grouped these guys together by the division they’ll be playing in so I can point out who benefits/suffers based on who they're playing their most games against. I could’ve ranked and tiered them -- but what fantasy info is there to glean from that if you’re not using defensive categories? At least this way, maybe you’ll see that a certain team/division has strong or weak catchers in it which helps certain runners or hurts certain pitchers.

One Man’s Trash: Ramon Laureano

February 17, 2021 | 2021 Fantasy Baseball, One Man's Trash | 12 Comments

by: Son

2010. What do you think of? Superior vision? A sense of nostalgia? Let's see, 11 years ago, there was Toy Story 3, the Burj Khalifa opened, Winter Olympics, Spain won the World Cup, the Blackhawks hoisted the Stanley Cup, the Saints celebrated the Super Bowl, the Lakers triumphed to raise the Larry O'Brien, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti killed over 300,000 people, an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Chile, the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform exploded, S&P downgraded Greece's credit rating, the Flash Crash.....ABORT! ABORT!! I want 2021 back. NOOOOOO! Take me back to 2010. AHHHHH! Time is a flat circle. Woo sah. Wooooo saaaaah. What else does 2010 conjure up? 20 home runs and 10 steals. Ahhh, that's sweet music to my ears. Steamer has 33 players projected for 20 and 10 this upcoming season. Only nine have an ADP past 100. Ramon Laureano is being selected on average with the 142nd pick in NFBC drafts from January 1 to February 16. Trash or treasure?

2021 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep, Pitchers’ Pairings

February 17, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 144 Comments

by: Grey

Did you ever think we'd get to the end of the 2021 fantasy baseball rankings? You did? Wow, you had more faith than me. Some time around the top 60 outfielders for 2021 fantasy baseball, I thought we were gonna have to pack it up and start ranking something else, like the top 20 reasons why we weren't finishing the 2021 fantasy baseball rankings. Never the hoo! Here we are now! Entertain us! Wait, that's my job. Now that I think about it, why is Nirvana saying "Entertain us?" They were the band supposed to entertain us. Wait, were their concerts just mass karaoke singalongs where the audience sang to them? Hmm, will research this and get back to you! So, from the 2021 fantasy baseball rankings, specifically the starter rankings, comes a need for this post: The 2021 fantasy baseball pitchers' pairing tool. This is where things get interesting! And by 'interesting' I mean massively confusing. If what you're about to read were found scribbled in a notebook, the FBI would be watching me. If The Night Stalker stood up and read this at the next prison Meet N’ Greet, no one would blink an eye. Besides, of course, him being dead might raise some eyebrows.