Fantasy Baseball Top-100 Hitter Rankings for 2021

The 2020 playoffs may be in full swing, but it is never too early to prepare for Fantasy Baseball in 2021. Many have dropped pitcher rankings for 2021, but I have not seen many hitter rankings. While it may be early, the mock draft season has already begun, which means I have been refining rankings since the 2020 Fantasy season ended.

The biggest challenge with ranking players for next season is how much should a shortened 2020 season matter. After spending much time researching, testing formulas, and running numbers, the conclusion I have come to is that each player must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Did a player make a tangible change that led to improved production in 2020? Did a player play through an injury in 2020 that caused a decline in production? Every factor needs to be weighed when attempting to rank players.

Before we get to the hitter rankings for 2021, There are inevitably hitters you will likely have questions about. I will highlight several tough hitters to rank. But if you have further questions, please reach out on Twitter @RotoClegg to further discuss the hitter rankings.

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Tough Hitter Rankings

• Luis Robert being my 39th rank hitter, will likely be one of the lower rankings in the industry. I love the power/speed combo and Robert’s potential long term. In September, Robert hit just .136 with one home run and 32 strikeouts in 94 plate appearances. He had one of the league’s worst contact rates at 61.4 percent and one of the highest O-Swing rates at 43.1 percent for the season. His 32.2 percent strikeout rate and 22.1 swinging strike percentage are extremely concerning moving forward. Robert could be a huge boom or bust play in 2021.
• Adalberto Mondesi is ranked two spots behind Robert at 41 in my hitter rankings. I have seen Mondesi go 19th overall in a mock draft this offseason, but I will not be in at that price. Yes, Mondesi has league-winning steals potential. He likely won many of you your league with his incredible September. He also has a poor plate approach that could find him on the bench in real life. His contact rate and strikeout rate are actually a hair better than Robert at 62.7 percent and 30 percent respectively. Based on my ranking, I will be out on Adalberto Mondesi in 2021. Yes, I am ready to take some flack from the Mondesi truthers out there.
• Teoscar Hernandez is one of the 2020 breakouts I am buying into. I may be a touch low having him at 48 in my hitter rankings. Regardless, Hernandez had quite an impressive 2020 season with 16 home runs, six stolen bases, and a .289 batting average in 207 plate appearances. He had one of the highest exit velocities, hard-hit rates, and barrel rates in the league. He also has elite sprint speed and used it to steal six bases. Hernandez is likely to continue his strong success in 2021.
• Matt Chapman is going to be an incredible value in 2021 drafts. I may be one of the higher on him at 53rd in the hitter rankings. Like Teoscar, Chapman ranked in the top of the league in exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel percentage. His hip injury likely bothered him most of the season, and he still hit the ball incredibly hard. He is expected to be full-go by spring training time, and I expect Chapman to provide a nice return to Fantasy owners who invest in him.
• Yordan Alvarez will likely be one of the hardest hitters to rank for 2021. The talent is there for an elite four-category contributor that can hit .300+ and hit 40 home runs over a full season. The question is, can he play a full season? Having arthroscopic surgery on both knees at 23 years old is quite concerning. My ranking might be conservative, given the talent level, but I want to see a healthy Alvarez performing in spring training. If that is the case, he will rocket up draft boards. So if you are willing to take the risk early, it could pay big dividends.

We could go a long time talking about debatable hitter rankings for 2021. If you have more questions, feel free to reach out on Twitter. But, without furth ado, let’s get to the top 100.

Top 100 Hitter Rankings

Wondering how to use Statcast data to evaluate hitters better? Check out my piece “How To Use Statcast Data to Win Your Fantasy Baseball League.”

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