Who is one hitter and pitcher should fantasy managers look into picking up that is rostered in less than 20% of leagues?
Jesus Aguilar
Jesus Aguilar is playing every day and batting in the heart of the Marlins lineup so far in 2021. Of course, we all remember his extraordinary start to 2018 and its 2019 counterpart which was... well... a little more ordinary, but his 2020 is a realistic balance and what I expect in 2021. His 2020 stats, when extrapolated to 600 plate appearances, come out to an extremely serviceable 86 runs, 94 RBI, 22 homers, and a .277 batting average, only hurting you in steals. And the best part: his peripherals and statcast data backed it up! There is no other player under 20% rostered that provides both the safety of everyday playing time and upside seen in his 2018 as Aguilar... plus he's such a fun guy to watch.
Griffin Canning
In Griffin Canning's first two starts of 2021, he's been good but not the breakout I was hoping for in the draft season. Nevertheless, I like the change he's made in throwing his best pitch (slider) more than he has in years past. In 2020, Canning threw his slider 23% of the time for a 47% whiff rate, comparable to his 2019 numbers. Though 2021 is still a minuscule sample size, I trust tangible changes (such as which pitches you throw) and Canning's now leading with his slider, throwing it 47% of the time for a still elite 44% whiff rate. In the past few years, we've seen leading with your best pitch bring huge success to several guys and I think Griffin Canning can be the next on that exponentially growing list.