Fantasy Insight: Top 15 Outfielders

Italicized (number) is projected draft round

1. Ryan Braun- Milwaukee (1)

2. Carl Crawford- Boston (2)

3. Carlos Gonzalez- Colorado (1)

4. Josh Hamilton- Texas (2)

5. Matt Holliday- St. Louis (3)

6. Matt Kemp- Los Angeles (5)

7. Shin-Soo Choo- Cleveland (4)

8. Nelson Cruz- Texas (3)

9. Justin Upton- Arizona (4)

10. Andre Ethier- Los Angeles (4)

11. Jayson Werth- Washington (5)

12.Jason Heyward- Atlanta (6)

13. Andrew McCutchen- Pittsburgh (5)

14. Jay Bruce- Cincinnati (10)

15. Mike Stanton- Florida (13)

1. Ryan Braun

Braun has been the model of consistency in leftfield, and after his first year in the league he became an immediate first rounder. His power ceiling is huge; he hits for power, creates scoring opportunities, and steals about 15-20 bases a season. The overall power has been a little inconsistent; his ISO in 2007 was .310, and it’s decreased each season since. Last season was the first that he’s hit under 30 homeruns. However, Braun might just have had a weird season. He’s always had a lot of power and never shown any signs of losing it. You could do a lot worse with a first round pick than Braun. With him you’re getting a 30-15 player who will hit .300 and have 100 RBIs and runs, in that big Milwaukee lineup, easily.

2. Carl Crawford

Crawford is the most athletic outfielder on this list. Not only are his stats great, but he also possesses a fantastic baseball IQ. His steals aren’t in the 60s anymore, but that’s because he prefers to sometimes just wait on the base and scare the opposing pitchers into making mistakes. He owns a .296 career batting average and his power has grown throughout his entire career. If he’s at the top of the Boston order he’ll easily rack up 100 runs, but if he’s in the middle he could also get a lot of RBI opportunities. He’s a shoe in for at least 40 steals, 15-20 homeruns, 100 runs, and 70-100 RBIs. He’ll be a first round pick in some drafts and he’d be a great anchor for any fantasy team.

3. Carlos Gonzalez

In his first full season in the league Car-Go became a possible triple crown candidate. His splits do show a lot of favor from playing in Coors, but his production in Coors is enough to make his numbers elite. Last year Gonzalez hit 34 homers with 26 stolen bases, all while dealing with injuries throughout the entire year. If he can stay healthy, he could have a 40-30 season with an average well above .300. With Car-Go there’s a bit of an injury risk, and there’s a bit of a regression risk, but for right now I say let the good times roll because the reward could be greater than last year.

4. Josh Hamilton

We all know Hamilton’s story by now, and we also all know how good he is. With him, you’re getting a .300 average, 30 homeruns, and a lot of RBIs and runs because of that ridiculous lineup he plays in in Texas. However, you also know you’re going to get a lot of missed time all season. Before getting clean and fixing his baseball career, Hamilton was leading a rough life of drug use and that’s taken a toll on his body; that toll translates into a lot of missed time throughout the season. That’s why I’d beware drafting Hamilton in the first round, but his consistency and skills warrant a 2^nd or 3^rd round pick for sure. If he could somehow stay healthy (highly unlikely) he could push the 40 homerun plateau.

5. Matt Holliday

Since moving to St. Louis Holliday has been a little lost in the noise that is Albert Pujols. However, that can only favor you on draft day because that means others will be overlooking one of the best outfielders in the draft. Critics always thought Holliday could not survive outside of Coors, but they were wrong. True, his power has rescinded a bit, but last year he hit 28 homers showing he could return to the 30 homerun power that made him a first round pick. He’s still an average and OBP beast, as shown by his .317 career average and .388 career OBP. He’s definitely gotten slower; his stolen bases have dropped from 28 in ’08 to 9 in ’10. But, his power, average, and RBIs/runs (provided by a great heart of the order in St. Louis) make him a great underrated outfielder that you could steal in your draft.