Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
If you know me, then you know that I have a soft spot for the outfield position. Actually, it's really a soft spot for center fielders, but that really doesn't matter. What matters here are stats, stats and more stats. With that being said, the position is stocked with productive fantasy players of all kinds.
The Top 20:
1. Ryan Braun - Brewers
2. Matt Kemp - Dodgers
3. Carl Crawford - Rays
4. Justin Upton - Diamondbacks
5. Matt Holliday - Cardinals
6. Jacoby Ellsbury - Red Sox
7. Ichiro Suzuki - Mariners
8. Curtis Granderson - Yankees
9. Nick Markakis - Orioles
10. Adam Lind - Blue Jays
11. Adam Jones - Orioles
12. Grady Sizemore - Indians
13. Jason Werth - Phillies
14. Carlos Lee - Astros
15. Josh Hamilton - Rangers
16. B.J. Upton - Rays
17. Manny Ramirez - Dodgers
18. Andre Eithier - Dodgers
19. Carlos Gonzalez - Rockies
20. Alfonso Soriano - Cubs
The Elite:
It's amazing how much different most of the top fantasy outfielders are in the "post" steroid days. Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford, who are now bona fide superstars in my mind have pretty much everything to offer you. Kemp is a 5 tool player who is still so raw it gets me so excited to see how he improves from year to year. Crawford, most likely headed to New York after the season, got his health back last year and really took off. He hit for average (.305), a decent amount of power and RBI (15, 68) and stole a ton of bases (60). The true elite fantasy outfielder has to be Ryan Braun. He's a proven power hitter (32 HR, 112 RBI) who also hits for average (.320), scores (113 runs) and has a career .937 OPS.
The 2nd Tier:
This category brings you a couple of youngster, Jacoby Ellsbury and Justin Upton who have very different styles of play. Upton bring the thunder while Ellsbury steals a ton of bases. Ellsbury really needs to increase his on base percentage a bit more to become an elite fantasy player. I also like Matt Holliday, hitting behind Pujols only, and the very consistent Ichiro to fill out the 2nd tier.
On the Rise:
Adam Jones - will have a season much like Matt Kemp in 09' as long as he stays healthy. Can do pretty much anything.
Carlos Gonzalez - Was lights out in the 2nd half last season. He gets a chance to do it from the start and build off his .284 average and 13 homers in only 289 at bats.
Andrew McCutchen - Much like Gonzalez, McCutchen starting to show his potential during the 2nd half of last season. He will not be hitting in the lead off spot this season, so you should see his RBI total be a bit higher than expected. Look for him to hit about .290 with 20 homers, 80+ RBI and 30+ steals. That is great for a 4th outfielder in fantasy.
Jason Heyward - The biggest buzz in baseball is created by this young phenom. I, for one, bank on him winning the NL Rookie of the year as he bursts on to the scene. He might struggle a bit off the block, but look for him to hit 25 home runs his rookie season.
Travis Snyder - He will have a year very similar to Adam Lind's 2009, when Lind had a breakout season. He may not his 35 homers and 135 RBI, but look for 25+ and 85+ RBI.
On the Slide:
Jason Bay - Don't get me wrong. I like Jason Bay and think he's a fine player, but I just look at what happened to David Wright last year in the first season Citi Field. After hitting 63 home runs combined the previous two seasons, Wright had a measly 10 in 2009. Bay has good power, but not nearly enough to top 20 this season.
Josh Hamilton - The man just can't stay healthy. Unless you can get him late, stay away and take someone potentially less productive who you can count on playing everyday.
Alfonso Soriano - Pretty much the same thing as Hamilton. His average dropped 50 points last season and he only stole 9 bags. Even being dropped in the order will not increase his RBI, so I say watch out.
Vernon Wells - Wells is an absolute waste of a fantasy pick. This is by far the worst contract in baseball now that Barry Zito had a decent year last year.
Sorry about taking so long on this, but sometimes reality sticks itself into Fantasy and Fan Fanatic Sports. Stay tuned on Wednesday for the Starting Pitchers and Friday for the Relievers.
No comments:
Post a Comment