Today, we continue our series of previewing the 2016 season from a Fantasy Baseball standpoint. With that in mind, here are the 2016 Fantasy Outfield Rankings.
Tier 1
1-Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
2-Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals
With the breakout of Harper last season, Trout has some competition for the number 1 outfield spot. While there is a compelling argument to select Harper, Trout still has the slight edge. They are both are likely to hit 30+ HR score/drive in 100+ runs hit and hit around .300. While Trout has been stealing less bases the last couple seasons, he still has more upside than Harper in this area.
Tier 2
3-Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox
4-Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
5-Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Miami Marlins
Betts & McCutchen get the edge as both provided a more rounded profile i.e. stronger batting average, more stolen bases, etc.) While Stanton is likely to hit in the .270s and is less of a threat on the base paths, he will be much more helpful on the power side (assuming he stays healthy).
Tier 3
6-Starling Marte, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
7-Nelson Cruz, OF, Seattle Mariners
8-J.D. Martinez, OF, Detroit Tigers
9-Jason Heyward, OF, Chicago Cubs
10-A.J. Pollock, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
11-Chris Davis, OF, Baltimore Orioles
12-Justin Upton, OF, Detroit Tigers
13-Jose Bautista, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Note: Davis is listed as an Outfielder instead of First Base because he played 30 games in the outfield last season.
Marte provides a decent amount of power with a strong batting average and high stolen base totals. Cruz is likely to hit around .270 but 35-40 HR is not outside reason even at age 35. Martinez has had two consecutive strong seasons offensively and has a chance to hit 30+ HR again. Heyward may not have great power totals but he’s good at getting on base, has stolen 20+ bases the last two seasons and with a strong Cubs team should have plenty of run scoring opportunities. While Pollock should continue to be a fantasy asset, it may be a tall order to repeat his 20 HR from last year. Davis is going to hurt you in the batting average category but should hit for more than enough power to make up for that. It is encouraging that Upton stole 19 bases last year and his power totals have been in the 25-30 HR range the last few seasons. Bautista has hit .259 or less three of the last four seasons but should continue to post very strong power totals.
Tier 4
14-Charlie Blackmon, OF, Colorado Rockies
15-Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
16-Adam Jones, OF, Baltimore Orioles
17-Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Colorado Rockies
18-Corey Dickerson, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
19-Miguel Sano, OF, Minnesota Twins
Blackmon should hit around .280 with strong power/speed totals. Braun may be past his peak but a 20/20 season is still realistic. Jones may be a bad bet in OBP based leagues, but consistently hits around .270 with 25 HR. Gonzalez is a long shot to hit 40 HR again due to his injury history and higher than usual HR/FB rate but 25 HR is realistic with him. While Dickerson has hit for a lower AVG away from Coors Field, he has put up respectable power numbers on the road which should help him as he goes to the Rays. Sano has the highest power & overall ceiling amongst players within this Tier but his 35.5 K% and .396 BABIP indicate that he could be in for some regression.
Tier 5
20-Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
21-Yoenis Cespedes, OF, New York Mets
22-George Springer, OF, Houston Astros
23-Khris Davis, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Puig is coming off an injury shortened season but can give you well rounded numbers when healthy. Cespedes was red-hot after being dealt to the Mets and should give you 25-30 HR power. On talent alone, Springer would be ranked much higher but staying healthy has been an issue. Davis has 25-30 HR power but is a .250 career hitter and is prone to extended cold streaks.
Tier 6
24-Brett Gardner, OF, New York Yankees
25-Lorenzo Cain, OF, Kansas City Royals
26-Hunter Pence, OF, San Francisco Giants
27-Kole Calhoun, OF, Los Angeles Angels
28-Matt Kemp, OF, San Diego Padres
29-Carlos Gomez, OF, Houston Astros
30-David Peralta, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
31-Gregory Polanco, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
32-Curtis Granderson, OF, New York Mets
33-Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, New York Yankees
34-Alex Gordon, OF, Kansas City Royals
35-Shin-Soo Choo, Texas Rangers
36-Michael Conforto, New York Mets
Gardner & Cain will likely give you an AVG in the .260-.280 range, 10-15 HR and 20+ SB. Pence only played 52 games due to injury but played well when active (127 wRC+). Calhoun will likely hit around .260 but provide 20 HR power. Kemp & Gomez have been first round picks in the past but have seen their value decreased due to injury and regression. Peralta is looking to prove that his 2015 (.312 AVG, 17 HR) was not a fluke. Polanco has been solid in the stolen base category but is capable of more than what he has done so far (92 career wRC+). Granderson is never going to hit for a strong average but 20-25 HR power is not out of the question. Ellsbury will give you plenty of stolen bases and 10-15 HR power if he can stay healthy. Gordon is likely to hit around .270 and hit 15-20 HR. Choo has seen his AVG jump around the last few years but has always been a decent power source. Conforto had a solid rookie season (134 wRC+) and is capable of hitting 15-20 HR.
Tier 7
37-Adam Eaton, OF, Chicago White Sox
38-Christian Yelich, OF, Miami Marlins
39-Matt Holliday, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
40-Josh Reddick, OF, Oakland Atheltics
41-Ben Revere, OF, Washington Nationals
42-Hanley Ramirez, OF, Boston Red Sox
43-Wil Myers, OF, San Diego Padres
44-Jay Bruce, OF, Cincinnati Reds
45-Joc Pederson, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
46-Billy Burns, OF, Oakland Athletics
Eaton has been a solid source of stolen bases but displayed more pop in his bat last year. Yelich should help with your batting average and stolen bases but 10-12 HR would be best case scenario. Holliday had a 124 wRC+ in 73 games last year but saw a sharp reduction in his power numbers. If healthy, Reddick is capable of hitting .270 with 20 HR. Revere is one-dimensional in that he gives you stolen bases but close to zero power. Ramirez is looking to bounce back from a horrible season in 2015 but he should provide some power, even in a worst case scenario. Myers had a 116 wRC+ last year in only 60 games and health is a big question mark for him. Bruce will give you power numbers (25+ HR five of the last six seasons) but coming off of two straight seasons hitting below .230. Pederson is another high power, low batting average option. Burns will give you plenty of stolen bases but very little power.
Tier 8
47-Billy Hamilton, OF, Cincinnati Reds
48- Mark Trumbo, OF, Baltimore Orioles
49-Stephen Piscotty, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
50-Melky Cabrera, OF, Chicago White Sox
51-Randal Grichuk, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
52-Dexter Fowler, OF, Free Agent
53-Delino DeShields, OF, Texas Rangers
54-Kevin Pillar, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
55-Kevin Kiermaier, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
56-Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs
57-Marcell Ozuna, OF, Miami Marlins
58-Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins
59-Nick Markakis, OF, Atlanta Braves
60-Steven Souza, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
Hamilton will give you stolen bases but is close to useless otherwise. Trumbo will give you solid power numbers but not much else. Piscotty is likely to hit around .270 and provide 15 HR power. Cabrera will likely provide a better batting average than Piscotty but provide less power. Grichuk is capable of providing 20 HR power but is likely to hit in the .250-.260 range. Fowler will give you decent power and speed totals but a lower batting average (whenever he gets signed). DeShields will give you plenty of stolen bases but almost no power. Pillar & Kiermaier will give you averages in the .260-.270 range with 10-15 HR. Soler had a strong debut in 2014 but disappointing numbers from last year have caused his value to drop. Ozuna also had a strong 2014 but a regression in 2015 has also caused his value to drop. Buxton has lots of potential but struggled in the 46 games he played with the Twins last year. Markakis continued to provide a solid batting average last year but saw his power drop off. Souza demonstrated he can hit for power & steal bases but needs to improve upon his .225 batting average.
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