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Jose Ramirez 2021 Fantasy Outlook: Worth His Restored First-Round Draft Stock
4 years agoAfter a brutal first half of the 2019 season in which Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez hit just .218, fantasy managers did not know what to do with him in 2020. Despite his red-hot second half, Ramirez fell out of the top-20 picks in lots of drafts but paid off immensely for those that rolled the dice on him. The third baseman went nuclear, finishing fourth in the league in homers (17) and 10th in steals (10) while providing a strong batting average (.292) and on-base percentage to boot (.386). A catalyst for the turnaround that happened in the middle of the 2019 season may have been that Ramirez started taking more pitches -- 4.0 pitches per plate appearance in 2019 as opposed to 4.5 in 2020. This led to more strikeouts (16.9%) but also more walks (12.2%) and a much higher barrel rate (10.2%). Heading into his age-28 season, he finds himself once again as a first-round pick, but he has proven to be worth every bit of that cost. Few hitters rival Ramirez's power/speed combination, and the increased walk rate makes him a safe bet for a strong on-base percentage as well. Being the No. 1 hitter in fantasy in 2021 is within his range of outcomes. You can use your late first-round pick on Ramirez with confidence.
