Seattle Mariners: 2021 Ty France fantasy baseball advice

Talk about winning trades… The Mariners got a huge steal from the San Diego Padres and Ty France was an underrated part of the package. Most people including myself were focused on Taylor Trammell and Andres Munoz but what a nice surprise France has been in Spring Training thus far.

He is absolutely crushing the baseball and looking like an MVP caliber player (knock on wood). Now, you may be wondering whether you should draft Ty France and if so, when? We have all the answers.

Ty France fantasy baseball advice

Where does the Mariners infielder rank?

According to Fantasy Pros, Ty France is an irrelevant fantasy asset. He is the 328th ranked player among all positions and might go undrafted in some fantasy leagues based on the rankings.

Are you surprised? I am not, just because he hasn’t had a huge track record of success. Although he was outstanding in 2020, it isn’t enough for fantasy experts to consider him as a viable starter in your fantasy lineup.

Now if you take a look at the list, he is surrounded by a handful of players you wouldn’t care to draft on your team. For example, Jonathan Schoop is ranked 327th and Madison Bumgarner is ranked 330th a couple of spots after France.

Among second basemen, Ty is the 38th ranked second baseman. They even have Jurickson Profar and Garrett Hampson ranked higher than the Mariners infielder.

When looking at third basemen, the former Padre is even further down. He is ranked 46th behind Joey Wendle and before Yandy Diaz.

Should you draft France?

Heck yes. That is a no-brainer. Fantasy rankings are informative and can help give you a sense of how the market is, but it’s not something you should follow 100% of the time. Ty France is the perfect example of being an outlier on this list.

Based on how he is playing in Spring Training, I would be more than happy to have Ty France be my starting second baseman or third baseman. He is looking like a serious All-Star candidate for 2021.

https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1368662416263847941?s=20

In the event that he cools down from his Spring Training performances, which he most likely will, his 2020 numbers should be more than exciting for fantasy owners. France will give you consistency in multiple areas. If he repeats his 2020 season, he will give you a high average to help balance out other players who might not have as high of a batting average historically.

France will give you a solid OPS above .800, which can be somewhat hard to come by in the later rounds. Ty should also give you a solid OBP since he is disciplined at the plate and doesn’t strike out too often.

The 26-year-old will most likely have an increased role in 2021 and hit in the heart of the order, which means more opportunities for runs and RBIs. When he was with the Padres, he hit in the bottom of the lineup so of course his runs and RBIs were naturally less.

As good as this all sounds, there are some sacrifices with drafting France. He doesn’t produce as many home runs as you might expect as a third baseman, but he is having a power surge in Arizona right now. So, you never know what will happen. He also won’t help you in the stolen bases department.

When should you draft Ty France?

If you’re in a league full of Mariners fans, chances are that Ty France will be drafted. If you are in a fantasy league where you are the only Mariners fans, he could easily go undrafted. So, first things first, you need to know your league.

If you happen to be in a league with lots of Mariners fans, you better jump on France early. As stated above, he’s the 328th ranked fantasy player but you should think of him in the 175-215 area because that’s where the other Mariners players are.

There are a few Mariners players ranked in the 175-215 range and I think Ty France is equally as valuable as some of those players. Those guys include James Paxton, Rafael Montero, and Kyle Seager.

But, if you aren’t in a Mariners fantasy league, you should be able to wait on France until the 250+ rankings area. There is a chance that Ty France could be the last couple of picks in your draft but I wouldn’t risk it. If you want to get France, don’t wait.

Stay tuned for more fantasy baseball advice this month.