Players listed here are ones I have taken early round swings on expecting them to be a hit for 2021 and beyond. Trevor Bauer, Clint Frazier, Lucas Giolito, and Jordan Hicks are some picks that are sure to impress baseball fans and fantasy managers.
Trevor Bauer won the Cy Young Award in 2020 and I wouldn't doubt it if he won the award in back to back seasons. He has been making himself better as a player and works on his strategy +
mechanics as much if not more than anybody in MLB. Bauer currently holds the key to his future this off season as he has stated that he is open to sign with any team. I'm excited to watch Bauer in 2021 to see how he gets better on the field and believe he will be great wherever he ends up. The chart to the right shows that his strikeout percentage(K%) was in the top five for 2020. This is due to the spin Bauer has on his pitches as you can see his fastball led MLB in spin while his curveball was in the top eight percent.
Clint Frazier is lined up to be a regular starter for the New York Yankees. The Yankees produced the fourth most runs in 2020 and that should continue for years to come. Frazier has been falling below his average draft position(ADP) 193.73 on Fantrax and if you're lucky to see him lower than that he will be worth taking a swing on. He is worth the shot after posting a .905 OPS through 160 plate appearances in 2020, especially in leagues that score for OBP.
Lucas Giolito should be considered an ace at this point with what he has done in his career.
Yet he still doesn't get the respect he deserves in my eyes as his ADP is 21.6 and I was lucky to select him 31st in my most recent Dynasty league. In 2020 he recorded 97 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitched with only 28 walks. In 2021 he has the opportunity to cement himself as a top five pitcher in MLB. He should be selected over Walker Buehler, Aaron Nola, Luis Castillo, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Jack Flaherty, Yu Darvish, and Zac Gallen. The Baseball Savant chart to the right shows just how well Giolito was and how he still has some room to improve on his 2020 season, mainly with his walk percentage(BB%).
Jordan Hicks has the potential to be one of the best relief pitchers in all of MLB and fantasy managers should take a swing on him becoming that. He threw his overpowering sinker at
an average of 101.5 MPH during the 2019 season, an upgrade from 101 MPH in 2018. In 2019 he recorded 14 saves, three holds, and only one blown save before having season-ending Tommy John surgery. Hicks was slated to start 2020 as the St. louis Cardinals closer but chose to opt out of the 2020 season. He will be returning in 2021 and I believe he will regain the closer role and outshine his current ADP of 299.69, so much so that in my most recent draft I selected him at 199. While 199 might have been a bit of a reach after he had Tommy John surgery in 2019, the potential is incredible and he could end up being a league leader in saves eventually if the Cardinals can produce enough runs to win games. He will have some good competition from Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley but Hicks will be either the eighth or ninth inning pitcher.
The four players listed here are all really good options to take early round swings on in your fantasy baseball draft. If I had to pick the best value and most room to grow I would go with Jordan Hicks. With such a low ADP for a 100 MPH pitcher it should be an easy call to target him. Trevor Bauer is the most exciting of the four as he is already a top tier pitcher after winning the Cy Young Award in 2020 and should be able to build on that.
Feel free to leave a comment or suggestion down below or reach out to me on social media as I am always down for a conversation about baseball or any sport for that matter.
All statistics from MLB.com, Baseball Savant, and Fangraphs.
Featured image courtesy of Chicago Tribune.
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