The Cleveland Indians have a full 162-game schedule in 2021 and that means fantasy baseball players can get back to a normal format this year.
Fantasy baseball is a daily grind that requires a ton of focus and knowledge.
Picking under-the-radar players who are primed for a breakout year can go a long way toward winning any league.
So who are those players on the Indians?
Three players in particular stand out as those prime late-round options to take in fantasy drafts.
3. Josh Naylor
Josh Naylor went 4-4 last night and was a triple shy of the cycle.#OurTribe pic.twitter.com/WDoo24GGZP
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) September 30, 2020
Josh Naylor joined the Indians late last season as part of the Mike Clevinger trade.
His claim to fame was tearing it up against the New York Yankees in the short first-round playoff series last October.
The former No. 12 overall draft pick is now the favorite to open the season as the starter in right field.
Naylor is still only 23 years old and showed real promise in his short time with the team.
2021 is set to be his first full season in the majors.
He has flashed some better power numbers throughout his young career and could even surprise fans with a 20/20 season of doubles and home runs.
Getting a full-time role will help boost his numbers as well.
2. Aaron Civale
Aaron Civale, Beautiful Curveball…and Insta K Strut. 🌈 pic.twitter.com/noG42sDxsr
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 4, 2021
Aaron Civale is primed for a huge jump in production this season.
He is yet another young player who has not yet played a full MLB season.
But the right-hander has a 3.69 career ERA in 22 starts and reinvented his delivery this offseason.
His K/9 jumped from 7.2 to 8.4 last season and he now stands out as the second or third pitcher in a starting rotation headlined by Shane Bieber.
Civale’s 2021 projections may take a hit because of his 4.74 ERA last season.
However, 2020 stats comes with an asterisk and he showed plenty of progression even if the ERA jumped in a shortened season.
Lower projections could cause Civale to fall in fantasy drafts and that makes him an absolute steal.
1. Andres Gimenez
Andres Gimenez was the centerpiece of the Francisco Lindor trade and has locked himself in as the starting shortstop this season.
The young infielder made his MLB debut last season and proceeded to finish seventh in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
He hit two home runs early in spring training and is batting .345 entering play Sunday.
Gimenez is going to be an everyday player and the early signs point toward him blowing past the 1.1 WAR he put up in limited 2020 action.
The fact he was able to beat out Amed Rosario once again proves the Indians value him highly as the hopeful shortstop of the future.
The Indians have two obvious fantasy draft picks in Jose Ramirez and Shane Bieber.
But the likes of Naylor, Civale, and Gimenez remain great options that fans around the league may not know about.
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