This article is part of our Baseball Draft Kit series.
*Values by Jeff Erickson, Write-ups by Clay Link
*These were generated for the 2021 RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Guide using Jeff's projections. The projections will be regularly updated on site throughout 2021. To customize for your league's settings, go here.
These dollar values provide rankings for players at each position, reflecting how they stack up against one another. These figures are based on a 68-32 hitters-to-pitchers budget split. A player must have played seven games at a position in 2020 to qualify there, or have played more games there in the majors than at any other position if he didn't play seven anywhere.
CATCHERS
J.T. Realmuto remains the cream of the crop at the position, but the gap is narrowing with Will Smith emerging for the Dodgers. James McCann is now a No. 1 in Queens while in the Bronx Gary Sanchez's stock is slipping. Carson Kelly, Alejandro Kirk, Ryan Jeffers and Tyler Stephenson have sleeper appeal. The position is top heavy and remains the thinnest in fantasy baseball, so give these players' stats a scarcity bump.
| Rank | Player | Team | Mixed | AL/NL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.T. Realmuto | PHI | $27 | $32 |
| 2 | Salvador Perez | KC | $25 | $31 |
| 3 | Will Smith | LAD | $20 | $22 |
| 4 | Travis d'Arnaud | ATL | $17 | $19 |
| 5 | Christian Vazquez | BOS | $16 | $23 |
| 6 | Yasmani Grandal | CWS | $16 | $22 |
| 7 | James McCann | NYM | $15 | $18 |
| 8 | Willson Contreras | CHC | $14 | $17 |
| 9 | Sean Murphy | OAK | $11 | $17 |
| 10 | Daulton Varsho | ARI | $10 | $14 |
| 11 | Gary Sanchez | NYY | $9 |
*Values by Jeff Erickson, Write-ups by Clay Link
*These were generated for the 2021 RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Guide using Jeff's projections. The projections will be regularly updated on site throughout 2021. To customize for your league's settings, go here.
These dollar values provide rankings for players at each position, reflecting how they stack up against one another. These figures are based on a 68-32 hitters-to-pitchers budget split. A player must have played seven games at a position in 2020 to qualify there, or have played more games there in the majors than at any other position if he didn't play seven anywhere.
CATCHERS
J.T. Realmuto remains the cream of the crop at the position, but the gap is narrowing with Will Smith emerging for the Dodgers. James McCann is now a No. 1 in Queens while in the Bronx Gary Sanchez's stock is slipping. Carson Kelly, Alejandro Kirk, Ryan Jeffers and Tyler Stephenson have sleeper appeal. The position is top heavy and remains the thinnest in fantasy baseball, so give these players' stats a scarcity bump.
FIRST BASEMEN
First base has both of 2020's MVPs -- Freddie Freeman and Jose Abreu. Vladimir Guerrero has already moved across the diamond and we'll have to wait and see if he regains third-base eligibility in-season. At press time, we still do not know whether or not there will be a DH in the National League, and that uncertainty affects Dominic Smith, Christian Walker and Brandon Belt among others here.
SECOND BASEMEN
Whit Merrifield showed that he still has the desire and ability to steal bases. Ozzie Albies could still have another level while Cavan Biggio, Ketel Marte and Gavin Lux also have some fairly obvious upside in their respective situations. Jose Altuve -- the No. 1 second baseman in this magazine last year -- falls with age and uncertainty regarding SBs. As you will see later on in this article, a lot of players here have bonus eligibility elsewhere.
THIRD BASEMEN
Nolan Arenado is now in St. Louis, and without Coors Field on his side, he may slip quite a bit further than his ranking here. Don't let him fall too far. Jose Ramirez's name has been the latest to come up in offseason trade rumors. Nobody outperformed their expected stats to a greater extent than DJ LeMahieu in 2020, but recency bias and eligibility at two other positions (1B, 2B) have pushed him way up draft boards.
SHORTSTOP
Fernando Tatis is the new face of baseball. Trevor Story's future in Colorado is uncertain while Bo Bichette is being drafted as the Next Big Thing. Adalberto Mondesi has the ability to be the No. 1 overall rotisserie earner -- the same can be said for about 10 other players at this position. Top prospect Wander Franco should debut in 2021.
OUTFIELDERS
Ronald Acuna is our top fantasy outfielder, but Juan Soto is already looking like a future Hall of Famer at 22 years old, and he's far from a zero in the stolen-base department. We wouldn't argue with anyone who wants to put Soto in the top spot, and Mike Trout still warrants consideration for No. 1 overall in OBP leagues. Randy Arozarena just put together the greatest postseason in history and you will have to get aggressive in drafts if you want him.
DESIGNATED HITTTERS
| Rank | Player | Team | Mixed | AL/NL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nelson Cruz | MIN | $23 | $26 |
| 2 | Yordan Alvarez | HOU | $14 | $20 |
| 3 | Franmil Reyes | CLE | $13 | $19 |
| 4 | J.D. Martinez | BOS | $11 | $18 |
| 5 | Shohei Ohtani | LAA | R | $12 |
| 6 | Giancarlo Stanton | NYY | R | $10 |
STARTING PITCHERS
There is a clear Big 3: Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom and Shane Bieber (in some order). How starting pitching will be handled is one of the great mysteries facing fantasy players in 2021. Chances are, teams will manage innings with the vast majority of arms after the short season. The proven workhorses will be pushed up even more than normal.
RELIEF PITCHERS
The closers with high job security are as scarce as ever. James Karinchak looks primed to emerge as the Cleveland closer and as one of the top closers in all of baseball with Brad Hand signing with the Nationals. Committees are beginning to dominate at the end of games as teams transition away from having one set closer.
This article is part of the 2021 RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Guide. You can order a copy here.
