Top 100 Hitter Rankings – Part 2

Last week we dove into the first half of the top 100 hitters for the 2021 fantasy baseball season.  This week, we will finish out the 100 completing our preseason baseline as we are weeks away from the regular season kicking off.  The themes of this sequel range between aging vets dropping down from the highest of highs to young upstarts with boundless potential.

Although we walked through tiers with the initial 50, as we move into the later portion of our rankings, tiers mean less and less.  What becomes critical at this point in our rankings is how you fill the gaps after the initial 6-7 rounds of the draft.  Did you lean towards power or speed?  Take a risk or two with the young potential star (looking at you Luis Robert)?  How about drafting 5 straight starting pitchers to start the draft like some crazy person?  No matter how you started, this portion of the draft is about shoring up your team and creating that much-needed balance to bring home the trophy.

Without further ado, here are the full top 100 hitters for the 2021 Fantasy Baseball Season:

Top 100 Hitter Rankings

So, let us assess what we can see from the second half of the top 100 and the biggest differences against ADP around the industry with a few hits and misses:

• Hit: Wil Myers was basically free at the draft table in 2020. He parlayed a change of approach at the plate during spring training into the regular season with his lowest chase rate since his rookie year and the lowest first pitch swinging rate in his career.  Although he has been a bit banged up this spring, he is a clear value at his current ADP.
• Miss: Teoscar Hernandez and Joey Gallo represent great upside and substantial downside. For me, that downside is just not worth the investment.  Both guys sat in the top dozen players in K% during 2020 and the only difference from my perspective is how the hits fell for Teoscar and did not for Gallo.  Yes, these guys can be lightning in the lineup if they get hot.  However, they can be an absolute nightmare driving you to migraines throughout the season.  Let somebody else jump on that rollercoaster.
• Miss: Salvador Perez and Yasmani Grandal are showing us the lack of upside in the catcher position. Would I like to have either of these guys on my team due to their power and solid playing time?  Yes.  Is it worth the investment considering the other type of talent on the table?  Not at all.  For 2021, I see no reason to be investing in catcher early or even in the middle rounds.
• Hit: Anthony Santander and Trey Mancini bring us the excitement from the Baltimore outfield. The last time we could say that was the heyday of Brady Anderson.  But these birds are about to fly and provide substantial value at the draft table.  For Santander with his 2020 small sample size he was on pace for over 40 home runs.  Would you believe he was actually a bit unlucky?  Across the green grass, Mancini is returning from a much greater challenge than many players.  That said, this is still a guy that hit .291 with 35 homers in 2019.  More please!
• Hit: Gavin Lux is where we end the analysis of the second half of the top 100. This is not about numbers or adjustments but about a commitment to an immensely talented young player.  Dave Roberts is on record saying that Lux will regularly play this season and I expect him to take full advantage.  While many have soured after an up and down 2020, that has simply created a great buying opportunity for the wise.