Philadelphia Phillies 2021 Fantasy Baseball Preview: Hitters

Fantasy baseball will soon be kicking into high gear, so it’s an appropriate time to dive into the fantasy options that the Philadelphia Phillies have to offer. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the pitching staff, but now we turn our attention to the batsmen, where we’ll find an interesting mix of studs and potential sleepers.

Let’s attempt to remove emotional attachments to players and just look at bottom line projections and numbers as we evaluate the Phillies’ stable of hitters through the fantasy lens.

The Philadelphia Phillies are stacked with a number of fantasy-relevant hitters in 2021.

For drafting purposes, we will assume a 12-team, 23-round draft for a league that uses standard hitting categories (batting average, runs, home runs, RBI, stolen bases). Also, let’s assume that there will be a 162-game season this year.

Bryce Harper

Without question, Bryce Harper will be the first Philadelphia Phillies player off the board in every draft unless you’ve got some strange scoring. But how early? He’s clearly a cut below the elite outfield options on the board, but he still finds himself firmly within the top-10 at the position.

In Year 3 of the “Bryce Harper Experience” in Philadelphia, expect 30+ homers and triple digits in both runs and RBIs. Harper will also give you the double digit steals you crave while posting an acceptable batting average. You can begin to strongly consider him with an early second round pick.

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J.T. Realmuto

A sight for sore eyes after all of the uncertainty surrounding his return to Philadelphia, J.T. Realmuto is cemented as the top catcher in fantasy. As such, he’ll cost you a premium draft pick if you desire his services. You’ll have to judge for yourself whether or not his elite production at a barren wasteland of an offensive position is worth it.

J.T. is a cinch for around 25 home runs, 90 RBIs, and should approach double digit steals. Fantastic for a backstop, but you also expect those numbers from your third outfielder. If you want to consider him in the fifth round, I won’t hold it against you, but I’m personally fine waiting on a catcher from the tiers below him.

Rhys Hoskins

Rhys Hoskins’ recent struggles plus his elbow surgery have dropped him all the way down to about the 14th round of standard drafts. In my mind, that’s too late. Keep in mind that Rhys was ripping the ball before he got hurt last year. Assuming that he is ready to roll for Opening Day or shortly thereafter, expect 30 HR and 100 RBI in this lineup. And feel free to reach for him as early as the 11th round if he’s been given a clean bill of health by the time your draft rolls around.

Alec Bohm

People are understandably high on Alec Bohm after his rock-solid rookie showing in 2020. He’s going in about round 9 according to the experts, and that may be a tad early. It really all depends how much your league values Bohm. If he’s viewed as one of the top 12 third basemen and your league has 12 teams, then you’re going to need to make a move for him right around that round 9 slot.

But maybe you get lucky, he falls a bit, and you can cross your fingers and end up with him in round 10 or even round 11. Any later than that, though, and your leaguemates clearly don’t know what they’re doing. If you get Bohm, enjoy 20 homers, 85 runs and RBIs, and a cool .295 average.

Didi Gregorius

The Philadelphia Phillies are happy to have Didi Gregorius, but he’s not getting much love in fantasy baseball circles. And I can’t really argue with those rankings, because shortstop is absolutely stacked. As a result, Didi may not even come off the board in your draft. So when you’re in the endgame and filling out your bench hitters, have no qualms about taking Gregorius in round 20 or later. A .265 average, 25 bombs, and 80 RBIs are in order.

Jean Segura

You’ve got problems if Jean Segura is one of your starters in a standard league, but I could see some value in having him as the last man on your bench thanks to his multi-position eligibility. Segura should be able to pop 15 home runs, rack up 65 RBIs or so, and maintain his usually solid average around .275. You could do worse in the last two rounds of your draft.

Scott Kingery

A divisive pick, Scott Kingery is viewed as a post-hype sleeper by some. But will the playing time be there? And will Kingery hit enough to deserve having his name penciled in by Joe Girardi on a nightly basis? If you have a strong itch to roster a Phillies player and still don’t have one after the 20th round, Kingery is worth a shot. You can always drop him if he hasn’t shown any flashes by late April.

Andrew McCutchen

The former MVP no longer gets any fantasy love. Clubhouse leader though he is, Andrew McCutchen is just another average bat. Pay for name recognition if you want, but you can do better with your outfield depth. He’s a safe pick in the last two or three rounds. Not exciting at all, but you should get steady production to the tune of 22 homers, 70 RBIs, 85 runs, and maybe 8-10 steals if you’re lucky. Anything over a .250 average is probably a bonus.

Adam Haseley/Roman Quinn

Unless something crazy happens in spring training where either of these guys outright wins a starting job, feel free to stay away. When injuries inevitably happen during the season, you’ll probably be tempted to turn to one of them in a pinch (especially Quinn for those steals), but they just aren’t legitimate fantasy factors. It also should be noted that Odubel Herrera stands a decent chance of carving out a spot, but we shouldn’t spend any time on that scenario.

Down on the farm, the Philadelphia Phillies don’t have any prospects set to come up and make a fantasy impact in 2021, so don’t waste any of your time scouting the system. All in all, though, the Philadelphia Phillies should be a reliable source of fantasy production at the dish for this coming season.