X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2021 Points League Rankings - Shortstop

Nicklaus Gaut breaks down his 2021 fantasy baseball H2H points league rankings at shortstop. These SS tiered ranks are for head-to-head points leagues.

The ides of January are behind us and fantasy baseball draft season is officially in full swing. And considering that H2H point league players got ran over the most by a 60-game season in 2020, I'm guessing you're just as ready as I am to get things going.

So it points ranks time, baby! If you've forgotten from last year, I have strong opinions on point leagues. TL;DR? You can't just transfer over value from roto and you can't just take players with good BB/K ratios. You must make your values based on your specific rule and not assume that someone who is good in one scoring system will hold the same value as in another system. If you don't, you'll be behind from jump street. Or, at least you won't be as set up for success as you could be.

We covered second base in our first time out, so today we'll take a quick little crow-hop over to shortstop. Call me crazy but I'm hearing there are a few good players at the position.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Methodology and Common Terms

If you've already been reading along at home, feel free to skip ahead to the ranks.

I'll mention this often ( and have mentioned it often); player values can vary wildly depending on your individual league settings. Whether using the standard scoring of the major platforms (ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, Fantrax) or custom setting, understanding how players score in your system and how roster sizes affect value is supremely important. The more you leverage this understanding, the more powerful the position you'll be starting from.

Here are the standard roster settings on the aforementioned platforms:

Fantrax ESPN Yahoo CBS
C 1 1 1 1
1B 1 1 1 1
2B 1 1 1 1
3B 1 1 1 1
SS 1 1 1 1
OF 5 5 3 3
CI 1 1 0 0
MI 1 1 0 0
UT 1 1 2 1
SP 0 0 2 5
RP 0 0 2 2
P 9 9 4 0
Bench 3 3 5 5
IL 0 0 4 0

Here are standard scoring settings on the aforementioned platforms:

Hitters

Hitters Fantrax ESPN CBS Yahoo Generic
1B 1 1 1 2.6 1
2B 2 2 2 5.2 2
3B 3 3 3 7.8 3
HR 4 4 4 10.4 4
Run 1 1 1 1.9 1
RBI 1 1 1 1.9 1
SB 2 1 2 4.2 2
CS 0 0 -1 0 0
BB 1 1 1 2.6 1
K 0 -1 -.5 0 .25
HBP 0 0 1 2.6 .5

With values varying, it can make doing a general point ranking a little tricky. For example, Ronald Acuna Jr. is a top-five player for me on every platform besides ESPN, where I'd probably put him closer to #20. That's a big swing. So what I've done is to use a "generic" point system as a baseline for doing ranks, as well as talking about per-PA scoring rates. It gives the one-point per-base that all systems generally use, with two points for stolen bases and -.25 points for a strikeout.

This gives us a common baseline so we're at least speaking close to the same language, no matter your platform. But if you're on ESPN, know that you'll need to make heavier adjustments for speed/high K% players.

General System notes

  • Yahoo started mirroring their scoring to their daily fantasy game, making the scoring wildly different than other platforms.
  • ESPN (-1) and CBS (-.5) both subtract points for strikeouts. This is a monster difference and must be properly accounted for. Take Ronald Acuna Jr. versus Juan Soto in 2019, as an example of the difference over a full season. Acuna had a 26.6% K%, while Soto posted a 20.0% K%. That translated to 188 strikeouts for Acuna and 132 SO for Soto, putting Acuna in a 56-point hole under ESPN scoring. That's a big difference.
  • ESPN only gives one point per stolen base. The more a player's value depends on stolen bases (in other scoring formats, as well as roto), the more their value will take a negative hit on ESPN. It's not as an extreme difference as the strikeout scoring but still needs to be accounted for.
  • Players who steal a lot of bases and strikeout a lot are going to take big hits on ESPN. Adalberto Mondesi is the most extreme example of players who are essentially not draftable on ESPN when comparing their scoring to likely ADP. But  Jonathan Villar is in a similar boat, as is the aforementioned Acuna Jr. Let's just say that if you see an ESPN point rankings that have Acuna Jr. in the top-10, you should run away.

Data Notes

  • Statcast data is taken from EV Analytics and can be slightly different from Baseball Savant due to EV's own methodology. From their glossary:

Note: Statcast stats are calculated live by in-ballpark cameras and radar. These occasionally fail to record data on certain batted balls. All data and projections displayed at EV Analytics that rely on Statcast data identify these missed balls and estimate what they should have been. Internal tests showed this to be slightly more accurate than either ignoring the missing data or using MLB's.

"The Barrel classification is assigned to batted-ball events whose comparable hit types (in terms of exit velocity and launch angle) have led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage since Statcast was implemented in 2015. 

To be Barreled, a batted ball requires an exit velocity of at least 98 mph. At that speed, balls struck with a launch angle between 26-30 degrees always garner Barreled classification. For every mph over 98, the range of launch angles expands."

Common Terms

  • Barrel% - Barrels per batted-ball event
  • Air% - total percent of balls hit in the air (fly balls + line drives)
  • Air% average EV - average exit velocity of non-groundballs
  • Air % 100+ mph- the percentage of balls hit in the air that had an exit velocity of 100 mph or greater.
  • Average EV Top-5% - The average exit-velocity of a player's top-5% hardest-hit balls.
  • Average EV Next-20% - The average exit velocity of the next 20% of hardest-hit balls.

In addition to rankings, the charts include how players have scored the last three years in the generic scoring system, as well as what I am currently projecting for 2021. Also included in 2019-20 strikeout rates to better help those who play in leagues where they are punished, make adjustments, as well as wOBA and xwOBA for 2020.

 

Shortstop Rankings

Tier Rank Name All Pos 2018 pt/pa 2019 pt/pa 2020 pt/pa 2021 pt/pa 2020 woba 2020 xwoba 2019 K% 2020 K%
1 4 Fernando Tatis Jr. SS .942 1.018 .950 .386 .404 29.6 23.7
1 11 Trea Turner SS .782 .878 1.015 .880 .406 .372 19.9 13.9
1 13 Trevor Story SS .916 .899 .885 .875 .364 .318 26.5 24.3
2 20 Francisco Lindor SS .893 .846 .695 .810 .319 .333 15.0 15.4
2 24 Tim Anderson SS .693 .801 .839 .785 .370 .347 21.0 22.6
2 26 Xander Bogaerts SS .853 .893 .857 .800 .362 .327 17.5 18.2
2 27 Bo Bichette SS .828 .861 .805 .347 .337 23.6 21.1
2 36 Adalberto Mondesi SS .954 .831 .809 .780 .300 .255 29.8 30.0
2 40 Corey Seager SS .650 .796 .921 .775 .387 .410 18.1 15.9
2 47 Gleyber Torres SS .757 .839 .638 .760 .321 .320 21.4 17.5
3 84 Javier Baez SS .903 .832 .550 .670 .252 .265 27.8 31.9
3 95 Dansby Swanson SS .628 .717 .804 .678 .343 .337 22.8 26.9
3 107 Jorge Polanco SS .704 .760 .567 .700 .284 .293 16.5 15.5
4 133 Marcus Semien SS .656 .859 .638 .645 .294 .274 13.7 21.2
4 143 Carlos Correa SS .686 .873 .592 .640 .305 .306 23.4 22.2
4 159 Andres Gimenez 2B,3B,SS .780 .640 .318 .296 21.2
4 169 David Fletcher 2B,3B,SS .581 .637 .673 .610 .345 .311 9.8 10.9
4 171 Tommy Edman 2B,3B,SS,OF .847 .630 .635 .297 .305 17.5 21.1
4 173 Paul DeJong SS .703 .738 .589 .620 .292 .303 22.4 28.7
4 180 Didi Gregorius SS .847 .755 .831 .690 .342 .298 15.4 11.8
5 185 Ha-Seong Kim SS .650
5 189 Chris Taylor 2B,SS,OF .701 .728 .796 .630 .358 .354 27.8 25.7
5 195 Jonathan Villar 2B,SS .700 .807 .577 .640 .262 .256 24.6 26.1
5 222 Orlando Arcia SS .484 .578 .661 .610 .312 .325 20.0 16.9
5 225 Andrelton Simmons SS .705 .634 .630 .600 .308 .261 8.7 12.6
5 237 Willi Castro 3B,SS .468 .818 .610 .387 .343 30.9 27.1
6 238 Jose Iglesias SS .656 .648 .812 .640 .401 .370 13.2 11.3
6 247 Nick Ahmed SS .652 .716 .703 .590 .313 .295 18.1 21.2
6 254 Niko Goodrum 2B,SS .685 .679 .574 .570 .257 .256 29.2 38.5
6 261 Amed Rosario SS .656 .693 .568 .580 .271 .256 18.9 23.1
6 263 Isiah Kiner-Falefa 3B,SS .597 .544 .614 .580 .303 .287 22.1 14.0
6 264 Miguel Rojas SS .556 .609 .878 .580 .373 .323 11.8 12.6
6 270 Jake Cronenworth 1B,2B,SS .690 .350 .383 15.6
6 272 Mauricio Dubon 2B,SS,OF .658 .633 .622 .313 .305 18.0 20.3
6 274 J.P. Crawford SS .636 .634 .665 .570 .298 .307 21.0 16.8
7 285 Willy Adames SS .663 .619 .715 .610 .341 .295 26.2 36.1
7 292 Nico Hoerner 2B,3B,SS .784 .595 .610 .262 .289 13.4 19.0
7 319 Luis Urias 2B,3B,SS .575 .566 .508 .540 .269 .263 22.5 26.7
7 345 Brandon Crawford SS .609 .580 .742 .550 .329 .298 20.9 24.4
7 392 Kevin Newman 2B,SS .343 .747 .423 .590 .247 .283 11.7 12.2
7 398 Elvis Andrus SS .597 .718 .561 .650 .251 .286 14.8 13.5
7 402 Jose Garcia SS .520 .176 .213 38.2
7 430 Garrett Hampson 2B,SS,OF .667 .654 .598 .690 .285 .283 26.9 32.6
7 433 Anderson Tejeda SS .536 .301 .239 39.0
7 435 Jazz Chisholm 2B,SS .524 .244 .254 30.6

 

Tier One

He might be sharing a tier but consider Fernando Tatis Jr. as the sole resident of Tier One (A). While he is close in ranking to some of his fellow shortstops, I see a significant gap in his points scored compared to the next players on the list. Tatis scored at a rate of 1.02 pts/pa in 2020, after .95 pts/pa in 2019. Even if you think he's closer to 2019 than 2020 (which I don't), Tatis is a top-three hitter in any scoring format if he finishes in the 650-675 PA range.

I might think he's a step behind Tatis Jr. but that doesn't mean I think Trea Turner is any sort of slouch. Turner slashed .335/.394/.588 over 259 PA, with 12 HR and 12 SB. While I do think the stolen bases will tick back up, I don't think he'll be hitting home runs at a .048 HR per-PA pace again, as his home run rate spiked without also seeing a spike in key power indicators, other than a small increase in Brl%.

Looking at Turner's top-end exit velocities, launch angles, and batted-ball profile from 2020, nothing really screams sustained power breakout:

2017 2018 2019 2020
HR per PA .025 .026 .033 .046
Barrel% 6.0 6.5 7.4 9.9
Air% average EV 91.4 89.9 91.9 88.9
Air% (100+ mph) 31.2 31.5 33.5 32.3
Top 5% average EV 108.7 108.6 109.7 108.7
Next 20% average EV 103.0 102.7 104.8 104.0
Average Launch Angle 7.5 9 9.9 9.2
+38-degree LA% 12.7 13.8 14.7 13.6
FB% 21.0 20.4 21.5 18.1
HR/FB% 15.7 17.4 21.6 33.3
Pull% 34.2 37.8 38.5 26.6

But really, these aren't reasons to dislike Turner in 2021, it's more to explain why I'm not putting him on the same level as Tatis. In most scoring formats (cough..not ESPN..cough), getting Turner in the first round won't disappoint.

No, I won't be saying anything bad about Trevor Story. Not even to troll Nick Mariano. Story slashed .289/.355/.519 in 2020, with 11 HR and 15 SB, even with the lowest HR/FB% of his career.  Simply put, Story is a stud and he'll continue to be a stud. Much like Freddie Freeman, Story is one of the safest and most consistent scorers in point leagues, even if he's not the most exciting pick in the world. But you can draft him at the end of the first round and be confident you'll get your value back.

 

Tier Two

With Francisco Lindor now a New York Met, the better offense does earn him a slight bump up in my rankings. But not enough to get back into the first tier of shortstops, as I still have the same questions about his power that I had pre-trade.

After peaking in 2018, Lindor's exit velocities at the top of the spectrum have now decreased for the last two seasons:

2017 2018 2019 2020
HR per-PA .046 .051 .049 .030
Air% average EV 91.2 93.2 91.9 91.8
Top-5% average EV 107.8 109.9 110.5 107.8
Next-20% average EV 102.4 104.0 104.5 102.0
Air% (100+ mph) 26.7 33.7 30.4 23.6

I'm not saying he's in decline (he's still only 27-years-old, after all) but do wonder if we need to adjust our expectations from the 30-35 HR he put up from 2017-19 and make 30 HR more of a ceiling, particularly now that he's calling Citi Field home.

I don't know about you but I'm ready to accept that the 2019-20 version of Tim Anderson is due to a change in talent and will be sticking around for a bit. After winning the AL batting crown in 2019, Anderson slashed .322/.357/.529 in 2020, with an xBA that was comfortably in the top-10% of baseball in both seasons. with a career-high .430 xwOBAcon in 2020.

Anderson's averages weren't empty either, with his .207 ISO and .376 wOBA both representing career-highs, as was his .045 HR per-PA. Even spicier, Anderson's exit velocities have risen just as steadily:

2018 2019 2020
HR per-PA .033 .035 .045
wOBA .294 .363 .376
Air% average EV 90.9 89.2 91.7
Top-5% average EV 105.0 105.8 107.2
Next-20% average EV 99.1 100.9 102.2
Air% (100+ mph) 20.1 22.4 32.4

Besides not doubting Anderson's talent, I'm not doubting his place in the world. He's locked into a leadoff spot at the top of what looks to be one of baseball's most dangerous offenses and plays his home games at one of the best hitting environments available. No* doubts in 2021.

*Okay, technically one doubt. There is about a 22% chance that new White Sox manager Tony LaRussa (ie..the silliest and most ill-fitting managerial hire in recent memory) totally sinks Chicago's season, successfully sucking the fun out of Anderson in the process.

Xander Bogaerts is getting filed under the same banner as Anderson and won't be doubting his point league excellence after scoring at consistently elite rates for the last three seasons. He's locked into the middle of Boston's lineup (which surely can't be as big of a trash pile as it was in 2020) and is again poised to be a top-30 player. Because even if his production dips, the sheer volume of plate-appearances should make up for it.

I probably have Corey Seager too low, right? Seager increased his Barrel% from 7.9% in 2019 to 16.0% in 2020,  his Air% (100+ mph) from 24.5% to 50.5% in 2020, and his Air% average EV from 91.6 mph to 93.5 mph. Those increases are really significant but part of the reason they're so large is that Seager had dropped so low in 2019 from where he was in 2017-2018. His Air% (100+ mph) was around 40% in both those years, while his Air% average EV was 93.0 mph in 2017 and 90.6 mph in 2018. So which is the real version? I'll go with one that isn't quite as good as the 2020 Seager but still much better than what we'd seen earlier.

**We know direct your attention to fantasy baseball-mandated coverage discussing how polarizing Adalberto Mondesi is**

Hey! Adalberto Mondesi is polarizing! Discuss amongst yourselves.

Let's get one thing out of the way. If you play on ESPN, CBS, or any other format that punishes strikeouts, Mondesi will likely not be worth whatever his ADP is, even if he does have an amazing year. Especially ESPN, where he'll only get one-point per stolen base. On other platforms, his upside is closer to what it is in roto but not quite considering the outsized value that his 60+ SB potential can bring. In points, Mondesi can still return value but a top-25 ADP is far too much to pay for a profile that carries as much risk as he does.

 

Tier Three

Since his production peaked in 2018, Javier Baez has struck out more, while walking less, hitting less, and stealing less. Basically, just less. This is not a recipe for success under any format but particularly in points. It's just hard to be good at points with a 30% K% and 3% BB%:

Season PA HR SB BB% K% AVG OBP SLG wOBA wRC+
2016 450 14 12 3.3 24.0 .273 .314 .423 .316 94
2017 508 23 10 5.9 28.3 .273 .317 .480 .326 98
2018 645 34 21 4.5 25.9 .290 .326 .554 .366 131
2019 561 29 11 5.0 27.8 .281 .316 .531 .347 114
2020 235 8 3 3.0 31.9 .203 .238 .360 .256 57

There are also some troubling trends in Baez's exit velocities, with his Air% average EV dropping to 91.o mph (2018: 96.2 mph, 2019: 95.8 mph) and his Air% (100+ mph) dropping to 34.4% (2018: 47.3%, 2019: 44.9%). There's no way that Baez is as bad in 2021 as he was in 2020, right? I don't think so but I've got enough concerns that a top-70 draft price just isn't going to make sense for me.

The good news is that Dansby Swanson finally played a whole year. The bad news is that it was only a 60-game season. So if a Swanson falls into a full year during a pandemic, has a Swanson really fallen? He continued to make excellent contact in 2020, posting a .426 xwOBAcon after a .429 xwOBAcon in 2019, while his top-end exit velocities also continued their upward trend. Swanson's Air% average EV did drop from 91.0 mph in 2019 to 89.2 mph in 2020 but his 35.8% Air% (100+ mph) increased for the third-straight season, after sitting at 31.3% in 2019, 23.5% in 2018, and 19.9% in 2017.

If you could guarantee me 650 PA, I'd be all about Swanson being a borderline top-75 player in points. But unfortunately, that's a hard number to trust for a player who has never crossed 551 PA due to parts of his foot occasionally falling off.

 

Tier Four

Marcus Semien is so much of a points machine that he gets near the top-100 even without being currently employed. He's not going to be the .86 pts per-PA force that he was in 2019 but even in a bad 2020 (236 PA: .223/.305/.374, .64 pts/pa) Semien was still the #15 shortstop. In part, this is because he racks up plate-appearances, with 703 PA in 2018 and 747 PA in 2019. Maybe he's just a compiler but steady compilers can be really valuable in points.

Looks like we've reached the hate on the Astros portion of today's show! It's not (solely ; ) that I'm hating on Carlos Correa because of my firm belief that baseball is a lot harder when you don't know what pitch is coming; my hate goes much deeper.

For one thing, Correa is to injuries as Astros are to sign-stealers. He reached 660 PA in 2016 but hasn't crossed 468 PA since and frankly, I'm not going to assume he'll reach 600 PA until I see him actually do it again. To be fair, that's kind of cheating considering Correa played in 58 of 60 games in 2020 and was on pace to finish well above 600 PA. But technically, that's still a win and I'll take it!

And besides issues with his soft tissues, Correa also hit his balls in the air a lot softer in 2020:

2017 2018 2019 2020
HR per-PA .050 .032 .065 .023
Avg EV (Air%) 93.6 92.4 95.0 90.0
Avg EV (Top-5%) 110.3 110.3 111.4 107.8
Avg EV (Next-20%) 105.2 102.9 105.9 102.8
Air% (100+ mph) 39.8 31.9 50.0 30.2
Barrel% 9.6 7.6 14.8 5.9

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the true Correa is what we saw in 2019 and all he has to do to prove he's a top-five shortstop is finally get one of those 650 PA seasons everyone's been hoping for. But I'm afraid that's going to be a no for me, dog.

I already liked Andres Gimenez when he didn't have an everyday job for the Mets and would likely bat 6th-7th when he did play. So, you better believe that I like him after his trade to Cleveland, where he'll play every day and probably bat leadoff. The 22-year-old held his own in 132 PA in 2020, slashing .263/.333/.398 with 3 HR and 8 SB. That's a pretty good line in roto and it was just as good in points, with Gimenez scoring  .78 pts per-PA in our generic scoring system, a rate not that far behind Dansby Swanson and Adalberto Mondesi - and significantly higher than Francisco Lindor.

However, just as important to increasing his value in points is the improved situation. Prior to the trade, Gimenez was projected by Depth Charts for 574 PA (although I thought he would hit his way closer to 600 PA. But the combination of a likely spot at the top of the order and no competition for everyday at-bats puts him in the 640 PA range for me. Plus-talent plus plus-PAs equals plus points player. Math. Boom*

Whether using him at shortstop or second base (where he'll actually play), at a 225 ADP, David Fletcher is criminally underrated in points. Fletcher doesn't strikeout (10.3% K% and 3.3% SwStr% for his career) and just posted a .376 OBP in 2020, up from a .350 OBP in 2019. Oh, and he'll bat leadoff in with Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon following behind. Fletcher has done nothing but score points at an above-average rate and is now set up to accumulate a pile of plate appearances. That can change depending on what the Angels do in free agency but as things currently stand, Fletcher is simply easy money.

Depending on where he signs, my ranking of Didi Gregorius could shift significantly. Because if he lands in another hitter-friendly stadium with a good lineup (like back with the Phillies or Yankees), he'll belong, at least, in the Correa/Gimenez range of hitters. If that strikes you as crazy, it probably shouldn't.

Gregorius was the sixth-highest scorer last year among shortstops, scoring more than Xander Bogaerts, Adalberto Mondesi, Tim Anderson, and Francisco Lindor. Due to injury, Gregorius only reached 344 PA in 2o19 but still averaged the 18-highest scoring rate, finishing in the same range as Tim Anderson and Corey Seager. And in 2018, Gregorius was also the sixth-highest scoring shortstop, both in total points and points per-PA.

 

Tier Five

Slashing .270/.366/.476, with a .358 wOBA and .431 xwOBAcon in 56 games and 214 PA, Chris Taylor heads into 2021 seemingly with a lock on the Dodgers second base job. Taylor has been a points star for years, even if consistent playing time hasn't always been there, averaging .80 pts/pa in 2020, after .73 pts/pa in 2019, and .70 pts/pa in 2018.

It's not just Taylor's rate of scoring that keeps rising because, after a down year in 2019, his exit velocities shot right back up in 2020:

2017 2018 2019 2020
HR per-PA .037 .028 .029 .037
Barrel% 8.2 9.1 5.9 12.1
Avg EV (Air%) 90.8 91.8 89.0 96.5
Air% (100+ mph) 27.3 30.2 21.1 48.4
Avg EV (Top-5%) 106.6 107.0 105.4 108.4
Avg EV (Next-20%) 102.0 102.5 100.6 103.4

 

Given his stolen base upside, I can partially understand the top-150 ADP  of Jonathan Villar in roto leagues. But that's only if he finds a starting job in a crowded middle infield market, which doesn't seem guaranteed. If he lands in a situation where 550-ish PA seems likely, then Villar will be a no-go for me, especially in strikeout-penalizing formats. However, if he were to land back with Baltimore in an everyday role, his value could skyrocket.

As a counterpoint, regardless of his future employer, Villar will need to be better than this:

 

Tiers Six and Seven

Ranking Jake Cronenworth inside the top-200 is aggressive considering he seems likely to be out of a starting job following the Padres signing of Ha-Seong Kim. But I'm a believer in Cronenworth and how well his game profiles in point leagues. I'm also a believer that we shouldn't assume that a really good KBO hitter will instantly be as good of a hitter in the MLB. And with Cronenworth's positional flexibility, my ranking is based on him being a good enough hitter to find his way to 525+ PA. If he can manage that, Cronenworth will return a top-175 value.

Even if you throw out last season as an outlier, Miguel Rojas has been a steady per-PA producer in points, averaging .57 pts/pa in 2018 and .61 pts/pa in 2019 before exploding for .88 pts/pa in 2020. Even using Depth Charts' conservative estimates of .61 pts/pa over 607 PA, Rojas would return nearly top-200 value and won't be drafted in most leagues.

Niko Goodrum may have only slashed .184/.263/.335 in 2020 but still scored .57 pts/pa. Not a stellar rate but even if he only matches that rate in 2021, he'll be a top-250 player if he reaches 600 PA. But Goodrum posted a .68 pts/pa rate in both 2018-19 and increased his Air% average EV from 90.7 mph to 93.2 mph in 2020, while his Air% (100+ mph) increased from 30.5% to 32.7%. As long as he's getting consistent playing time in Detroit, Goodrum will earn his keep in most point systems.

Our second player in this tier of player underappreciated in points, J.P. Crawford is an average player (at best) on a bad team but will be batting at the top of the order and has scored at a consistently strong rate since hitting the majors:

2018 2019 2020
Pts per-PA .64 .63 .66

Impressive? Not really but it'll play under most scoring formats as long as Crawford reaches 600+ PA.

Nick Ahmed is yet another player who gets ignored in points because players are used to his ho-hum value in roto. But in points, Ahmed is a (relative) force, scoring .70 pts/pa in 2020, after .73 pts/pa in 2019, and .65 pts/pa in 2018. The ceiling is limited but Ahmed is remarkably consistent in his plate discipline and quality of contact and has an everyday role that'll bring plenty of playing time.

Year

xBA wOBA xwOBA xwOBAcon K% BB%
2015 .219 .276 .263 .291 17.6 6.3
2016 .239 .245 .277 .319 18.8 4.9
2017 .241 .300 .277 .335 21.9 5.6
2018 .241 .300 .296 .336 19.3 7.1
2019 .261 .315 .326 .364 18.1 8.3
2020 .247 .313 .295 .338 21.2 8.3



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More 2021 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nikola Jokić8 mins ago

Nikola Jokic Expected To Play On Friday
Hunter Brown15 mins ago

Registers Eight Strikeouts
Jonathan Kuminga19 mins ago

Back On Thursday Night
Christian Walker21 mins ago

Mashes Homer In Win
Freddie Freeman31 mins ago

Heading To Injured List
Miles Boykin2 hours ago

Heading To Chicago
Jalen Wilson2 hours ago

Sidelined On Thursday
Baker Mayfield2 hours ago

Tampa Bay Restructures Baker Mayfield's Deal
Case Keenum3 hours ago

Chicago Signs Case Keenum To One-Year Deal
Kyshawn George3 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Richaun Holmes3 hours ago

Out Versus Magic
Khris Middleton3 hours ago

Out Again Thursday Versus Magic
D'Angelo Russell3 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Noah Clowney3 hours ago

Done For Rest Of The Season
Jordan Poole3 hours ago

Unavailable For Thursday
Scottie Barnes4 hours ago

Available On Thursday
Cedric Mullins4 hours ago

Goes Deep In Loss To Boston
Jonathan Drouin4 hours ago

Martin Necas, Jonathan Drouin Unavailable Thursday
Tyrese Maxey4 hours ago

Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
Alexandar Georgiev4 hours ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Henry Thrun4 hours ago

Returns From Nine-Game Absence Thursday
Taijuan Walker4 hours ago

Blanks Rockies For Six Innings To Earn First Win
Tanner Houck4 hours ago

Picks Up No-Decision In Four-Inning Outing
Olli Määttä4 hours ago

Olli Maatta Returns To Utah Lineup Thursday
Alex Bregman4 hours ago

Fills The Box Score In Win Over Orioles
Dylan Guenther4 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Jorge Polanco4 hours ago

Reinstated From Paternity List
Anthony Duclair4 hours ago

Takes Leave Of Absence
Carlos Rodriguez4 hours ago

Joining Brewers On Thursday
Alex Pietrangelo4 hours ago

On Track To Return Thursday
Brady Tkachuk5 hours ago

Out On Thursday
DJ LeMahieu5 hours ago

"About A Week Away" From Taking Live At-Bats
Devin Williams5 hours ago

To Return From Paternity List On Friday
Jake Fraley5 hours ago

Gavin Lux, Jake Fraley Sitting Against A Lefty
Trey McBride5 hours ago

Cardinals Making Trey McBride The Highest-Paid Tight End In NFL History
Geno Smith6 hours ago

Raiders, Geno Smith Agree To Two-Year Extension
Jeferson Quero6 hours ago

Set Back With Hamstring Injury
Eguy Rosario6 hours ago

Clears Waivers, Outrighted To Triple-A
Xavier Isaac6 hours ago

Rays Hopeful Xavier Isaac Will Return In A Couple Of Weeks
Angel Genao6 hours ago

Won't Return Until June
Austin Wells6 hours ago

Being Rested On Thursday
Paul Goldschmidt7 hours ago

Sitting In Finale Against Arizona
Masataka Yoshida7 hours ago

Not Ready For Rehab Assignment
Edward Cabrera7 hours ago

Goes Three Innings In Rehab Start
7 hours ago

Tyler Shough Could Be Day 2 Pick In NFL Draft
Jake McCarthy7 hours ago

Gabriel Moreno, Jake McCarthy Sitting On Thursday
Dallas Cowboys7 hours ago

Shemar Stewart Meeting With Cowboys Staff
New York Giants7 hours ago

Travis Hunter The Likely Pick For Giants?
Dallas Cowboys8 hours ago

DeMarvion Overshown Aiming For Comeback Player Of The Year Award
Washington Commanders8 hours ago

Commanders Sign T.J. Maguranyanga
Kansas City Chiefs9 hours ago

Mike Edwards Reunites With Chiefs
New Orleans Saints9 hours ago

Saints Could Take A Quarterback Early In The Draft
Joe Milton III11 hours ago

Traded To Cowboys
Anfernee Simons12 hours ago

Could Be Absent Again Thursday
Scoot Henderson12 hours ago

Misses Third Consecutive Game Thursday
Scottie Barnes13 hours ago

Iffy For Thursday
Immanuel Quickley13 hours ago

Takes Thursday Off
Jakob Poeltl13 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Damian Lillard13 hours ago

May Return To Action Sooner Than Expected
Giannis Antetokounmpo13 hours ago

Likely To Suit Up Thursday
LeBron James13 hours ago

Probable Thursday
Jared McCann15 hours ago

Tallies Three Helpers On Wednesday
Jackson Blake15 hours ago

Scores Twice In Victory
Artemi Panarin15 hours ago

Tallies Three Points In Overtime Victory
Andrei Svechnikov15 hours ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Jake McCabe15 hours ago

Suffers Injury On Wednesday
Jonathan Drouin15 hours ago

Exits Wednesday's Contest
Los Angeles Chargers23 hours ago

Chargers Sign Tight End Jordan Petaia
24 hours ago

Matthew Golden Making Pre-Draft Visit To Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals24 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Not Looking For Short-Term Deal
Tutu Atwell1 day ago

Rams Plan To Give Tutu Atwell A Bigger Role In 2025
Tampa Bay Buccaneers1 day ago

Bucs Restructure Antoine Winfield's Deal To Free Up Cap Space
Jrue Holiday1 day ago

Won't Play Against Miami
New York Jets1 day ago

Xavier Newman-Johnson Re-Signs With New York
Al Horford1 day ago

Sidelined Versus Heat
Evgeni Malkin1 day ago

Joins Penguins For Road Trip
Filip Chytil1 day ago

Could Miss Rest Of Season
Declan Chisholm1 day ago

Back In Action Against Rangers
Samuel Girard1 day ago

Exits Avalanche Lineup Wednesday
Joel Kiviranta1 day ago

Returning Against Blackhawks
Eeli Tolvanen1 day ago

Misses First Game Of The Season
Jaden Schwartz1 day ago

Unavailable Against Canucks
1 day ago

Kyle McCord Rising Up Draft Boards?
1 day ago

Ashton Jeanty To Raiders Continues To Gain Steam
Cameron Young2 days ago

A Player To Avoid At Valero Texas Open
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

In Search Of Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At Valero Texas Open
Tom Hoge2 days ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick2 days ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners2 days ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay2 days ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Gary Woodland2 days ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti2 days ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
Jordan Spieth2 days ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp2 days ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim2 days ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood2 days ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau2 days ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole2 days ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Sam Stevens3 days ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA3 days ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy3 days ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman3 days ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno3 days ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg3 days ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober3 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall3 days ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara3 days ago

Gets Submitted
Édgar Cháirez3 days ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.3 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira3 days ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez3 days ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas3 days ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez3 days ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron3 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe4 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones4 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry5 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano5 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece5 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Russell Wilson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Fantasy Football Outlooks For QBs On New Teams: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, more

The NFL quarterback carousel gets to spin every offseason, and plenty of QBs have already found new homes ahead of the 2025 NFL season. For fantasy football, a player's surrounding team is extremely important, so it's worth looking into each of their outlooks with their new squads. There are still a few unsigned QBs, but […]


Shedeur Sanders - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

2025 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Superflex/Two-QB

The 2025 NFL Draft is still less than 30 days away. Therefore, dynasty fantasy rookie mock drafts are nearly here. Much will change between now and the NFL Draft. However, it’s time for another dynasty rookie mock draft. This rookie mock draft is a two-round, 12-team, and two-quarterbacks. For a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, […]


Deshaun Watson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Offseason Team Needs: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers

The AFC North, comprised of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers, sent two teams to the playoffs in 2024 and had one on the cusp of a playoff berth. The Ravens have the best roster of the four teams by a long shot. The Steelers have a solid defensive group, and […]


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 2: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2025)

Week 2 of the UFL season is just around the corner. This week will feature one game on Friday, one game on Saturday, and two on Sunday. Birmingham and Michigan will play at 8:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, followed by Memphis-D.C. on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Sunday's game pits the 1-0 Renegades against the […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Overvalued, Undervalued Players (2025)

Dynasty fantasy football rankings constantly shift, especially as we inch closer to the new season and fantasy drafts. Dynasty managers know the importance of finding those underrated players who could be steals in drafts or trades. They also know some players are overhyped due to unsustainable trends or past production. I'll break down two overvalued […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Moves During 2025 NFL Free Agency

It has been a wild offseason so far in the NFL. Plenty of players have switched teams in free agency, and some stars were even traded. Deebo Samuel Sr. was dealt to the Washington Commanders, Geno Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, and DK Metcalf has a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. These […]


Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]