Fantasy Baseball 2013: top 10 outfielders

Jose BautistaI rank him: #4Yahoo experts rank him: #72012 stats: 92 games, 332 at-bats, 64 runs, 27 HR, 65 RBI, 5 SB, .241 averageBautista is an absolete beast and should rank among the top five at the position. He had 54 home runs in 2010 and then 43 in 2011. He was on pace for nearly 50 last year before he got hurt. He says he is fully recovered now.Matt KempI rank him: #3Yahoo experts rank him: #32012 stats: 106 games, 403 at-bats, 74 runs, 23 HR, 69 RBI, 9 SB, .303 averageJust last year Kemp was being taken first overall in some fantasy leagues. He had nearly 40 HR and 40 SBs in 2011 but then got hurt last year and his numbers suffered because of it. Hopefully he can regain that speed that made him such a great fantasy asset.Mike TroutI rank him: #2Yahoo experts rank him: #12012 stats: 139 games, 559 at-bats, 129 runs, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 49 SB, .326 averageTrout had an awesome year last season but it was just one year. Can he repeat these numbers? Even if he does, Braun's were arguably better. Yes Braun had more runs, steals, and a better average but Braun had more homers and a lot more RBIs.View the list »
Ryan Braun I rank him: #1Yahoo experts rank him: #22012 stats: 154 games, 598 at-bats, 108 runs, 41 HR, 112 RBI, 30 SB, .319 averageI rank Braun above Mike Trout because Braun has a history of producing at this level whereas Trout does not. Braun has hit 30+ dingers in five out of six seasons and has surpassed 100 RBI in each of his last five seasons. He also brings speed to the table and had 30 steals last year.

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Outfield is one position that you aren't going to have any trouble filling on draft day despite the fact most fantasy leagues have three outfield slots. Even players not ranked in the top 25 are still well worth having on your starting roster.

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For example, Curtis Granderson is ranked 34th at the position by the Yahoo! experts yet he had 102 runs, 43 HR, 106 RBI, 10 SB, and a .232 average last year. Not a very good batting average but very good stats in every other major stat category.

Adam Dunn isn't even ranked in the top 50 but he is another player who can contribute heavily in the power categories. Yahoo! experts put down at #52 at the position despite the fact he had 87 runs, 41 HR, 96 RBI, 2 SB, and a .204 average. Obviously that bating average is horrible but Dunn has always been about swinging for the fences. He is a career .240 hitter but is still valuable in fantasy because he can belt 30-40 homers each year.

Looking even further down the list, how about Seattle's Michael Morse at #55. Morse had 53 runs, 18 HR, 62 RBI, and a .291 average last season, but only played 102 games. His stats from 2011 were more impressive with 31 HR, 95 RBI, and a .303 average. Morse has the capability of repeating those numbers if he can stay healthy for a full season.

Jayson Werth is another bargain player, ranked #56 by the experts. Last season, Werth had 42 runs, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 8 SB, and a .300 average but this was only in 81 games. Prior to that, he was easily a 20 HR / 20 SB player.

It is obvious there is a lot of depth at this position. I disagree with some of the experts' rankings, however, including who should be #1. Let's take a look at my top 10 outfielders:

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  • Ryan Braun I rank him: #1Yahoo experts rank him: #22012 stats: 154 games, 598 at-bats, 108 runs, 41 HR, 112 RBI, 30 SB, .319 averageI rank Braun above Mike Trout because Braun has a history of producing at this level whereas Trout does not. Braun has hit 30+ dingers in five out of six seasons and has surpassed 100 RBI in each of his last five seasons. He also brings speed to the table and had 30 steals last year.
  • Mike TroutI rank him: #2Yahoo experts rank him: #12012 stats: 139 games, 559 at-bats, 129 runs, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 49 SB, .326 averageTrout had an awesome year last season but it was just one year. Can he repeat these numbers? Even if he does, Braun's were arguably better. Yes Braun had more runs, steals, and a better average but Braun had more homers and a lot more RBIs.
  • Matt KempI rank him: #3Yahoo experts rank him: #32012 stats: 106 games, 403 at-bats, 74 runs, 23 HR, 69 RBI, 9 SB, .303 averageJust last year Kemp was being taken first overall in some fantasy leagues. He had nearly 40 HR and 40 SBs in 2011 but then got hurt last year and his numbers suffered because of it. Hopefully he can regain that speed that made him such a great fantasy asset.
  • Jose BautistaI rank him: #4Yahoo experts rank him: #72012 stats: 92 games, 332 at-bats, 64 runs, 27 HR, 65 RBI, 5 SB, .241 averageBautista is an absolete beast and should rank among the top five at the position. He had 54 home runs in 2010 and then 43 in 2011. He was on pace for nearly 50 last year before he got hurt. He says he is fully recovered now.
  • Carlos GonzalezI rank him: #5Yahoo experts rank him: #42012 stats: 135 games, 518 at-bats, 89 runs, 22 HR, 85 RBI, 20 SB, .303 averageGonzalez has hit 20-30 home runs and stolen 20 bags each of the last three seasons. He is also a career .299 hitter. Fantasy owners know what to expect out of Gonzalez and should get this type of production out of him.
  • Josh HamiltonI rank him: #6Yahoo experts rank him: #92012 stats: 148 games, 562 at-bats, 103 runs, 43 HR, 128 RBI, 7 SB, .285 averageThe experts rank Hamilton a little lower than he should be simply because he is now on the Los Angeles Angels instead of the Texas Rangers. But just look at his 2012 stats. Look at them!
  • Matt HollidayI rank him: #7Yahoo experts rank him: #172012 stats: 157 games, 599 at-bats, 95 runs, 27 HR, 102 RBI, 4 SB, .295 averageIt baffles me to see the "experts" ranking Matt Holliday so low. He is a great player that should hit at, or above .300, hit 25+ home runs, and potentially surpass 100 RBIs. What's not to like?
  • Andrew McCutchenI rank him: #8Yahoo experts rank him: #42012 stats: 157 games, 593 at-bats, 107 runs, 31 HR, 96 RBI, 20 SB, .327 averageThe experts hold McCutchen in too high esteem in my opinion. He had an excellent season last year, but it was a career year. Breakout season? Could be. But I'd rather go with someone more established in my first picks than hope McCutchen can repeat last year's stats.
  • Giancarlo StantonI rank him: #9Yahoo experts rank him: #62012 stats: 123 games, 449 at-bats, 75 runs, 37 HR, 86 RBI, 6 SB, .290 averageI have nothing against Stanton. He is an awesome player and someone I would love to have on my fantasy team. I rank him a little lower than the experts do only because there are some other options that I feel are better such as Holliday and Bautista.
  • Jacoby EllsburyI rank him: #10Yahoo experts rank him: #142012 stats: 74 games, 303 at-bats, 43 runs, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 14 SB, .273 averageI think Ellsbury should be among the top 10 outfielders. He missed a lot of time last year so I'm going to use his 2011 stats as a baseline. He had 32 HR, 105 RBI, 39 SB, and a .321 average that year. Aren't these numbers worthy of being in the top 10? Let's also not forget he stole 70 bases back in 2009.
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, Rochester Fantasy Sports Examiner

Alexander Hinkley has been playing fantasy sports for more than 10 years. He currently works as the Fantasy Content Manager for the National Lacrosse League and has an interest in fantasy lacrosse, hockey, baseball, and football. You may contact Alex with your comments and questions.

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