The month of March is a great time to scout talent for the upcoming fantasy baseball season. Especially since 2020 was only a 60-game season. It’s best to use Spring Training as a tool to make roster decisions going into Fantasy Baseball 2021. Some players let their potential shine and show that they can be valuable to some rosters. 2021 hosted a bunch of players having unsuspected outbursts of offensive production for their team. Many of them have had recent rough seasons, or are young stars making their way into stardom. Now that Spring Training is done, these statistics can now be fully analyzed and it is easier to determine which players played well. Here are three players who had Great Springs.
Josh Bell
2019 NL All-Star starter Josh Bell was traded to the Washington Nationals from the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to Spring Training. Many were skeptical about his impact, given his dreadful 2020 season. It’s important to not put too much emphasis on the 2020 season, given it was only 60 games. This Spring, Bell hit .383, with six home runs and a league-leading 1.328. In 2019, he hit .277, 34 home runs, and a .936 OPS. Bell plays the most powerful position in all of baseball. With those types of numbers transferring into the 2021 season, he could be the best first baseman. It’s safe to assume that with his burst in offense, Bell could return to his 2019 self. Or better yet, possibly a better version of his 2019 self, in Fantasy Baseball 2021.
Ke’Bryan Hayes
2015 first-rounder Ke’Bryan Hayes finally made his MLB debut in 2020 at age 24. In 2020, he hit .376 with a 1.124 average in 85 at-bats. Hayes is currently ranked the number nine prospect in all of baseball and is the highest-ranked third basemen. If Hayes didn’t make it clear that he could hit in 2020, his Spring Training performance sure validated it. This spring, Hayes hit .429 with a 1.155 OPS., despite only hitting one home run in 52 plate appearances. Hayes could be one of the best pure hitters in all of baseball at this pace. It’s only fair to say that he has had a great Spring Training in 2021.
Lucas Giolito
Just like Josh Bell, Lucas Giolito was also a 2019 All-Star. But unlike Bell, he had a pretty decent 2020 season. In 12 games, Giolito had 97 strikeouts, a 3,48 era, and a 1.037 whip. Not to forget he also threw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates in August. This spring, however, it has seemed that Giolito is as dominant as ever. He put up a tremendous 1.17 ERA, while only allowing 0.870 walks and hits per innings pitched. On top of that, Giolito had 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings, leading all of the MLB with 30 strikeouts in the month of March. If Giolito can keep this momentum going into the 2021 season he could be amongst the best pitchers in baseball.
The 2021 season will prove to be a weird one considering it’s following the 60 game pandemic season. Some players may do better than expected, and other young talents will burst onto the scene unexpectedly, as they didn’t get the chance to in 2020. Also, like Giolito, other players will return to their dominant selves in the upcoming seasons. The previous three players had great Spring Training and should have all eyes on them in Fantasy Baseball 2021.
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