Usually when I post rankings, I'm ranking prospects or players for dynasty leagues. However, since I am participating in what to my knowledge are the first two NFBC Draft Champions slow drafts for 2021 (run by @draftchampagne), I started ranking players and figured I'd share those rankings with our subscribers.
I usually do my own projections every winter, which greatly informs my decisions in drafts every March, so these rankings could change drastically over the next four months. Consider these a pre-projections ranking set.
First, I have some general thoughts about the player pool for next year.
- The top-12 is a clear top tier. I think you can be happy with your roster construction selecting any of those players in the first round, but I'm much less enthusiastic about starting my team with anyone outside that group of 12.
- The closer we get to Opening Day, the higher the starting pitchers will move up my board as our confidence level in their health for OD nears 100 percent.
- I think you need to approach things with the expectation of getting double-digit steals from every middle infielder and outfielder in your starting lineup. For every spot you don't get a double-digit steal guy, you need to get those steals from another player on your roster. So, let's say you want to roster Corey Seager or Eloy Jimenez, you could get Daulton Varsho as your catcher or Ke'Bryan Hayes as your third baseman and all of a sudden you're getting
Usually when I post rankings, I'm ranking prospects or players for dynasty leagues. However, since I am participating in what to my knowledge are the first two NFBC Draft Champions slow drafts for 2021 (run by @draftchampagne), I started ranking players and figured I'd share those rankings with our subscribers.
I usually do my own projections every winter, which greatly informs my decisions in drafts every March, so these rankings could change drastically over the next four months. Consider these a pre-projections ranking set.
First, I have some general thoughts about the player pool for next year.
- The top-12 is a clear top tier. I think you can be happy with your roster construction selecting any of those players in the first round, but I'm much less enthusiastic about starting my team with anyone outside that group of 12.
- The closer we get to Opening Day, the higher the starting pitchers will move up my board as our confidence level in their health for OD nears 100 percent.
- I think you need to approach things with the expectation of getting double-digit steals from every middle infielder and outfielder in your starting lineup. For every spot you don't get a double-digit steal guy, you need to get those steals from another player on your roster. So, let's say you want to roster Corey Seager or Eloy Jimenez, you could get Daulton Varsho as your catcher or Ke'Bryan Hayes as your third baseman and all of a sudden you're getting those steals from a non OF/SS/2B spot and not falling behind.
- I think it's important to significantly discount outfielders or middle infielders who don't run and don't hit for a high average. I'm specifically thinking of the Jorge Soler, Kyle Schwarber types. There's not much positional stolen-base opportunity cost when you roster Matt Olson or Eugenio Suarez, but there is when you don't secure those stats in the outfield or middle infield.
- First base is no longer shallow relative to shortstop or outfield. In fact, I want to make a point of waiting and landing someone like Garrett Cooper, Rowdy Tellez or Brandon Belt for as long as the market is discounting those types.
- Second base is the shallowest of the non-catcher hitting positions. If I miss out on the top guys and miss out on the Jake Cronenworth, Dylan Moore, Tommy Edman, Chris Taylor group, then I'm probably ending up with a Met, either Robinson Cano or Andres Gimenez.
- I'm extremely cautious right now with regards to injured pitchers and am favoring starting pitchers whom I'm confident can log a heavy workload in 2021. I'm not drafting Roberto Osuna, Kirby Yates, Corey Kluber, James Paxton, A.J. Puk, Spencer Howard etc... until I see them on a mound looking like their healthy selves, and I'd still be discounting them even at that point.
- I'm bumping up the elite closers, given how uncertain the position is after the top 10 or so.
I have included the positions each hitter is eligible at in the NFBC for 2021 (seven games is the cutoff for eligibility) along with some contractual, health and skill notes.
