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Aaron Nola 2021 Fantasy Outlook: Still Improving And Ready For Greatness
4 years agoThe draft stock on Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola dropped a bit following a 2019 season that was solid, but far from outstanding. He really rewarded those who drafted him in 2020 with a stellar stat line that featured a 3.28 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and a huge 33.2% strikeout rate. That came on the back of him significantly changing his arsenal. In 2020, he threw four different pitches over 20% of the time. He has one of the game's best curveballs, a strong changeup and a really effective four-seamer and sinker combination. Nola was incredibly hard to predict and generated tons of whiffs and ground balls last year. Maybe the strikeout rate won't stay above 30% in 2021, but the ground-ball rate has always been high for him, so we should expect more of the same in that area. The floor is sky-high for this 27-year-old, and the ceiling is there as well after the changes he made in 2020. Nola is going outside of the top-10 starting pitchers in some fantasy drafts, making him one of the better values in the early rounds and a great guy to anchor your fantasy staff.
