Change of Scenery Champions: Three Players Who Will Shine In New Uniforms

Changes of scenery can be great for players across the fantasy ADP spectrum. Today, I’ll highlight three players who switched teams this offseason, and who should benefit a great deal from playing in a new home.

All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

Blake Snell, SP, Padres (ADP: 43)

Snell was traded this offseason from the Rays, who were in the World Series last season. So even though the Padres figure to be a great team, it is not necessarily the quality of team that is the biggest benefit for him. First, with no universal DH in the National League for 2021, Snell is going to benefit from facing pitchers. That is a major benefit for a pitcher like Snell, whose stuff is wicked but difficult to control, and who often racks up high pitch counts. If your league counts quality starts, it’s going to be nice to have more weak spots in opposing lineups for Snell to just attack and hopefully shave some pitches off his pitch count every fifth day.

Second, the Padres should be among a handful of World Series contenders, so his win total isn’t going to suffer from leaving Tampa Bay. Last, Snell was involved in one of the more infamous managerial decisions in MLB history when he was removed from the game against the Dodgers in Game 6 with a one-run lead, and a relatively low pitch count. Escaping Tampa Bay’s strict adherence to the analytics bible might result in a better fantasy finish. Snell didn’t go six innings even once in 2020, but went at least five innings eight times out of 11 starts. Of course, part of this is his style of play, but it’s also because Tampa Bay had a ferocious bullpen that they deployed liberally. The Padres don’t have quite that level of relief pitching, and it could mean fantasy owners eke a few more quality starts out of Snell than they would have previously.

Andres Gimenez, 2B/SS/3B, Indians (ADP: 191)

Gimenez has star potential, and now that he’s done being blocked in Queens, he’ll have an opportunity to flash his ability across a full season. Gimenez, only 22, might be a fantasy star because of his speed. He was in the 94th percentile of big leaguers in Sprint Speed in 2020, swiping eight bags and being caught just once in 49 games. He also hit respectably, finishing with a .263/.333/.398 slash line with three home runs, 22 runs scored and 12 RBI. Gimenez has never profiled as much of a power bat, but he did hit for high averages in the low minors, and showed  competence at Double-A and above.

The most important thing for Gimenez is playing time, which he will see in abundance in Cleveland. He was the centerpiece of the Indians’ haul when they traded their superstar, Francisco Lindor, and are committed enough to Gimenez to have started playing Amed Rosario in center field to free up playing time. Ideally, Gimenez would be utilizing his speed at the top of the order, but for now that’s being occupied by 2B Cesar Hernandez. Hernandez is a steady veteran bat at the top of the order, so he will likely remain there while Gimenez is seasoning. Gimenez is the future at the top of this order though, and even batting further down the lineup, he’s doing to be running a ton. Gimenez is a gem in keeper leagues, and should be a difference maker at a very cheap price.

C.J. Cron, 1B, Rockies (ADP: 251)

Throw away 2020 for Cron, who only lasted 12 games. He is an underrated power bat who has provided solid home run production (30, 25 in the last two seasons) without getting full time at-bats anywhere. Cron has often been part of platoons, only appearing in 140 games once. Unsurprisingly, he rewarded the Rays that season with 30 homers.

Now, Cron has gone to Colorado, which is one of the best places someone with his pop can play. He’s never hit below .253 in his career, which is solid for a power-based corner infielder, and he’s posted an ISO of .240 or better in each of the last three seasons. Statcast loves him; league-average Barrel % is 6.4, and Cron doubled it or more in each of the past three campaigns. In 2019 he posted a 15% barrel rate, which placed him inside the top 5% of MLB. He also posted an average exit velocity of 91.1 in 2019, and a max exit velocity of 115.9 mph. Most importantly, the Rockies are likely to roll him out there as an everyday presence in their lineup. Nolan Arenado is gone, making Ryan McMahon a full-time third sacker, and other options like Brendan Rodgers and Garrett Hampson are middle infield types. If Cron can stay healthy, he profiles like a hitter who can set a career high in home runs with about 35 in this ballpark, and also surprise us with a lot of RBI as a projected No. 5 hitter. Those may be optimistic ideas, but even approaching that production makes him far more valuable than the No. 261 overall pick and No. 36 first baseman.