Reds' Jesse Winker leads 2021 fantasy baseball breakout candidates
Yahoo Sports' Andy Behrens, Dalton Del Don and Scott Pianowski discuss a few players who could break out in a big way, including an outfielder who hit 12 HR in 54 games last season.
Video Transcript
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ANDY BEHRENS: Welcome back to Yahoo Fantasy Baseball 2021. Today, we are talking about breakout candidates, guys who haven't made a lot of noise in the past but are going to make a huge fantasy splash in the season ahead. Scott, start us off.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI: Yeah, in a sense, I almost feel like I'm cheating when I mention Jesse Winker as a breakout because I feel like the breakout may have already happened. He's got a career slash of .280/.380/.479. Those are outstanding numbers, and he's shown decent power at the Major League level.
But for different reasons, at times the Reds have kind of jerked him around with his playing time. We don't know if there'll be a DH in the National League. It looks like probably not. You can get Winker around pick 235 in Yahoo ADP. That is a dynamite steal. He's capable of having a 30-homer, 100-RBI season. The average has already shown that it plays.
We know Cincinnati has a deep lineup and a very good place to hit. So I want you to take advantage. This is the last time we're gonna get Jesse Winker this cheap into an age 27 season. The timing is right for him to smash his current ADP.
ANDY BEHRENS: Like it. That's a good call. I'm gonna go with Dylan Carlson of the Cardinals. He's just a year removed from a 2020 season in the high minors. He hit over .290 with on-base skills. It's a full complement of skills, so this is somebody who plausibly can give you double-digit power, double-digit speed.
He's got an everyday lineup spot as long as the spring goes well. Dexter Fowler no longer in the team picture, so Carlson has a place to play. We don't have to worry about at bats, we don't have to worry about playing time, anything like that. Again, this is a power-speed combo player with some batting average upside here. I think Dylan Carlson is gonna make a lot of fantasy noise in 2021. Dalton Del Don, who do you like?
DALTON DEL DON: Give me Kevin Gausman on the Giants. You know, he kind of broke out last year, but his ADP is still outside 150. And when I say breakout, I mean he's gonna be a legit Cy Young contender this season. Former number-four pick, he had to deal with Baltimore his whole career. You know, a bad park, tough division, bad defense, an organization that's struggled to develop its players.
And, no, getting to San Francisco last year was nice, but he was injured a bit. He still had to deal with the DH. Oracle Park suddenly became hitter-friendly. And, randomly, he had 20% of his starts occur in Coors Field. So a lot of that should become much more favorable in San Francisco this year.
Last year, he ranked top 10 in K-minus-walk percentage directly behind Gerrit Cole and Yu Darvish. He is good. And he bet on himself, taking a one-year deal in the offseason. And I think it's gonna pay off big. And fantasy managers will want him on their teams when it happens.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI: Let's remember Baltimore, right, Jake Arietta, Dylan Bundy, Trevor Bauer. Just getting out of Baltimore has so often been the elixir for these guys. I realize Gausman has already made a couple of stops other places. But when a pitcher has Baltimore in his rearview mirror, certainly my ears perk up.
ANDY BEHRENS: That's a really good call. And when you're in company like Gerrit Cole and Yu Darvish, that seems pretty good to me. I like it. Remember, folks, get yourself signed up for a fantasy baseball team today. That is sports.yahoo.com/fantasy.