This Resurgent Player Is Leading A Surprise Team And Is The Top Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Of 2021

The 2021 major League Baseball season is now past the two-month mark, and the top players are separating themselves from the pack. At the pitcher position, the top fantasy scorers are made up of the biggest stars in the game, yet the top scorer is not considered one of baseball’s elite.

Using standard scoring, Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow, Trevor Bauer and Brandon Woodruff are second through fifth in fantasy points for 2021. All four are the aces of their respective rotations for winning teams, yet none are the highest fantasy scorer of the year. Jacob deGrom, the best pitcher in the league at the moment, ranks 11th due to a stint on the IL.

So who is the top fantasy pitcher of the 2021 season so far? Kevin Gausman.

Gausman leads the National League with a 1.27 ERA and is second only to Lance Lynn leaguewide among qualified pitchers. He ranks second in WHIP at 0.76, third in hits per nine innings at 4.98, and eighth in strikeouts at 93. He is a perfect 7-0 and is one of only two starters with a perfect winning percentage.

His 288.5 fantasy points are the most among all starting pitchers. Gerrit Cole in second has 272.5. He averages 24.0 per game and has given up more than one earned run in just one start this season. Gausman has four straight starts of zero earned runs and nine straight of one or less.

Apart from fantasy, he has the fifth-best odds to win the NL Cy Young award at +1800, according to BetMGM MGM. 

Gausman is anchoring a San Francisco Giants rotation that boasts one of the best ERAs in the league. The Giants have the best record in baseball at 38-23 and are two games up on the Dodgers in the NL West. Gausman is playing a key role on the team.

The former fourth-overall pick in 2012 never lived up to expectations in Baltimore, posting a 4.22 ERA in six years with the team. He was designated for assignment in 2019 by the Braves after positing a 6.19 ERA in 19 starts.

Gausman has persevered and is now one of MLB's best pitchers. His surprising performance this season has the Giants in a playoff spot and has him in contention for the Cy Young award. For fantasy purposes, he's the anchor of any pitching staff and surely has a spot on many first-place teams through two months.