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FantasyPros Fantasy Baseball Chat (2/17)
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Jon Anderson
1:59
Welcome to the chat everybody! My name is Jon and I’m here to answer your fantasy baseball questions for an hour. 

Just a note - if I say anything that proves to be really wrong, it was because of bad luck. If I say anything that proves to be amazingly correct, I knew it all along. Let’s get to going!
Mike Pish
2:01
Hi Jon,

What are your thoughts on using a $10 Lindy's Sports Fantasy Preview magazine from December for a draft in March?

Thanks!
Jon Anderson
2:01
You know Mike, sometimes it's best just to keep it simple and avoid getting inundated with new information. I'd say just keep a nice gel pen handy to scratch those names out when Spring Training injuries start happening.
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Guest
2:03
Juan Soto or Trea Turner?
Jon Anderson
2:03
You're not giving me much information to work with here. Steals are at an absolute premium these days and taking Turner in the first round really sets you up nicely in that category, so there is something to be said for taking Turner over some of the other big names. However, I think it's a bad move overall, Soto is just too good.
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Chuck L
2:06
Does Adam wainwright have any fantasy relevance as a sleeper this year? Dude is a QS savior and might sneakily be an sp5 that wins you a ship.
Jon Anderson
2:06
I mean sure, it's hard to ignore the 3.15 ERA and 1.05 WHIP last year. In a year where everybody is sure to be scrambling for big innings totals, Wainwright could sneakily find his way towards the top of the leaderboard in that category just because the Cardinals have nothing to lose by letting him stretch it out. He's a strikeouts killer, but he knows how to pitch and it's unlikely that he's suddenly a total gas can this year. In deeper leagues, why not add him on at the end of the draft.
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Leeroy
2:09
I'm in a 10 team category league and one of the managers is punting pitching and going relief pitchers and closers only and drafting heavy on the batting side. What do you think a possibly outcome of that would be?
Jon Anderson
2:09
Depending on the categories of the league this is a super viable strategy. In a league with say wins, saves, ERA, WHIP, and K/9 it makes all kinds of sense to forego starting pitching, load up like crazy on hitters and lock in those elite ratios with relievers. All that is assuming that there's no innings minimums in your league that you have to meet.

If your league has quality starts or straight strikeouts instead of a strikeout ratio category, it's probably a losing strategy overall.
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Frank S.
2:11
If CJ Cron breaks camp as the starting 1B, is he a lock for 40 dinger missiles?
Jon Anderson
2:11
If the knee is healthy and he's playing every day, yeah the guy is going to rake.

It is true that Coors Field isn't as great for home runs as you may think, but a lot of those flyouts for Cron will turn into doubles. If you give him 600+ plate appearances I absolutely think he pops 30 over the fence and might even hit .280 with half of those games being in Coors. Buy him now before the price comes up.
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Jeremy
2:14
Should I take Dylan Moore in the 8th round?
Jon Anderson
2:14
Ten team league - no that's too early.

12 team or more, maybe.

There is big upside with Moore, it's within the range of outcomes that he steals 30 bases and hits 20 homers, which only a handful of guys can do. But that's best case scenario. He struck out a ton last year (33% K%), so he will probably be a big time negative in batting average, but he's one of the few guys that can steal you 30 bags and not cost a top 50 pick.

So to answer your question - I have no freaking idea, flip a coin.
Leeroy
2:16
Do you think Ohtani being a solid two way player is worth paying up for?
Jon Anderson
2:16
If you're in a league where Shohei Ohtani takes up just one roster spot on your team and you can play him as a hitter and a pitcher in the same week, yes, Ohtani is potentially the most valuable fantasy player in the game by a mile.

He can legitimately be a nine category player in a standard roto league. The next best player can be a five category player.

While there are huge injury and performance questions after that disastrous 2020 season for Ohtani, the potential reward is well worth the risk for what he costs right now.

If you're in a league where you have to pick to use him as a pitcher or a batter in a given week, I'd pass.
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Chone
2:19
there is an owner in our league who is a real up and comer. However he hasn’t been able to make his way into the playoffs. It’s been so long I would say that was seven summers ago. Any advice for how to overcome that hurdle and become relevant in fantasy baseball?
Jon Anderson
2:19
Does it ever make him sad to know, that he made the playoffs seven summers ago?

If it's been seven years since he did anything though... I mean yikes.

I'd tell him to stop trying to pick breakouts and rookies and stuff and just focus on solid, boring players. That should be enough to make the playoffs every few years.
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JABO
2:21
In a head to head points league I can keep Bryce Harper or Jacob DeGrom as my first round keeper.    I have Devers, Ozuna, Bichette, Judge, Voit, Woodruff, Ian Anderson, Lazardo, and Glasnow as my other keepers.
Jon Anderson
2:21
If we're talking just for 2021, it's deGrom for me. If you can keep these guys for longer than just this year though it's Harper - just because he's more likely to still be providing elite production down the line given that pitchers are much more susceptible to long-term injury.
Rasta Pish
2:23
Jon do you see jake cronenworth gettin full time at bats this year?
Jon Anderson
2:23
Padres have built themselves up quite a deep bench with the Kim and Profar signings. Cronenworth was fine last year but he's far from a sure thing to post great hitting numbers, so no I think 400-450 plate appearances is probably a fair projection, which will make it tough for him to be fantasy relevant in standard leagues.
DandyRobnak
2:26
Trevor Rosenthal and Jake Odorizzi need teams, outside of the Mets, what teams need the best remaining closer and SP on the market?
Jon Anderson
2:26
The NL Central is just wide open for any team that wants to try to win it (besides the Pirates), and the Cubs/Cardinals/Brewers/Reds could all use another solid starter, so I'd say any of those teams would make sense for Odorizzi. The Twins fit that bill a bit as well, as they don't exactly have a great rotation and the clock is running on their World Series hopes with Nelson Cruz and Josh Donaldson on their last legs.

As for Rosenthal, can't really see any team that shouldn't be interested. Teams are certain to have more innings pitched from their bullpens than probably ever before this year, so it makes to load up on as many solid relievers as you can if you're in it for a playoff run.
Brad
2:27
Freeman or Bellinger in H2H league
Jon Anderson
2:27
CJ Cron.
Ed
2:30
Who is this years top 30 starter that isn't being drafted in the top 200?
Jon Anderson
2:30
Michael Pineda is the guy. Strong swinging-strike rate last year (14.3%) and managed walks fantastically (6.3% BB%). If he can scrounge together 150 innings I think he's got a great shot at being a top 30 guy with the Twins.
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MAGA Mitch
2:31
By the 10th round what should my Hitter/Pitchers look like?
Jon Anderson
2:31
This is a personal opinion, but for me I'm wanting at least three SP's with my first ten picks, and probably four. Depending on your league settings and how the rest of your league drafts it might make more sense to 8-2 or 9-1 in favor of hitters, it's really not a question that can be answered with a set-in-stone reply.
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Julio
2:33
Who are some of your top SP sleepers that you can get after the 12th round for the 2021 season? H2H
Jon Anderson
2:33
Jesus Luzardo, Lance McCullers, Joe Musgrove, Triston McKenzie, David Price, Andrew Heaney, Jameson Taillon are some names that have stood out to me in my research and are all going after pick 120 right now.
Kmart
2:35
What are the best hitting and pitching metrics to target when looking for a potential breakout or undervalued player?
Jon Anderson
2:35
K/BB ratio is my favorite to look at, and that goes for both pitchers and hitters. It shows a command of the strike zone which is necessary to really compete at a high level over a full season.

If you're looking for high batting averages, you should be looking for guys with low strikeout rates and high line drive rates.

Maximum exit velocity is also a sneaky category to check if you're looking for a guy that could bust out for 30+ homers, it is a really good indicator of bat speed.
Keith
2:37
I am the 5th overall pick in a head to head points league. I am hoping Soto is there but on the way back I am looking at Eloy Jimenez/Luis Robert/Kyle Tucker. 14 teams. Can you rank these guys or do you see someone else with greater value? All the best!
Jon Anderson
2:37
  1. Eloy
  2. Robert
  3. Tucker

But if you start with Soto+Eloy, you're a bit behind in steals.. and you don't have a SP, which is tough sledding in a roto league. Be flexible, take a risk on a later round steals guy (Moore, Gimenez, Buxton), and be willing to trade some power for steals after the draft.
Sheri
2:38
At what round do I go for Realmuto?
Jon Anderson
2:38
Fact: no fantasy manager that has been the first person to draft a catcher has ever won a championship.
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James
2:39
Mookie or Trout I have first overall pick. Hitting keepers are Soto and Bregman.
Jon Anderson
2:39
With Soto and Bregman already in the tank you go Betts because you're already set in average/OBP. You'll get a lot more steals from Betts while not giving up much else, so I'd say Betts is the easy choice in that situation.
James
2:40
i have Cole as a 7th round keeper and have an offer to get Story as a 15 Round keeper via trade...I have Bieber and Buehler is well, along with Soto & Bregman. Sending cole and getting story a good deal?
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