Top 60 Outfielders for 2018

Mike Trout and Bryce Harper lead the way in the Top 60 fantasy outfielder rankings

To help keep my rankings without bias, I haven’t looked at any other fantasy pro’s rankings this year. I hope there wind up being a few controversies and surprises.

The stats listed are the 2018 steamer projections, listed in the following format: (Runs/Home Runs/RBIs/SBs/AVG/OBP)

1. Mike Trout — Los Angeles Angels (112/38/106/20/.309/.435 in 145 games) Surprise!
2. Bryce Harper — Washington Nationals (97/35/99/9/.303/.420 in 135 games) If he were to hit 50 home runs I don’t think anyone would be surprised. It’s only a matter of time before he puts it all together and give his fantasy owners a monster season.
3. Charlie Blackmon — Colorado Rockies (103/27/79/18/.297/.363 in 146 games) It feels like the last year Blackmon will be this high. But I thought that last year too. I anticipate the steals being less than 15 this year, and that will hurt his value. Still can’t beat the strong five category production; playing in one of the best hitter’s parks.
4. Mookie Betts — Boston Red Sox (98/26/85/20/.300/.371 in 138 games) As with any of the top four, Mookie can easily put together a season that would sit him atop the player rater. The power and speed combo makes him an elite fantasy asset.
5. Giancarlo Stanton — New York Yankees (103/52(!)/123/3/.283/.376 in 137 games) He finally did what we all knew he was capable of last year, and that was in Crayola Canyon in Miami. Now playing in a hitters park, in the middle of a lineup full of power bats, he might sneeze 84 home runs this year.
6. George Springer — Houston Astros (98/31/82/10/.275/.368 in 135 games) Springer had a strong year last year, and yet it still feels like he has more to offer.
7. J.D. Martinez — Team Unknown (77/33/94/3/.277/.350 in 130 games) He’s good for 30+ homers no matter where he plays, but the counting stats can get a bump if we see him land in the middle of a solid lineup.
8. Marcell Ozuna — St. Louis Cardinals (81/30/96/2/.291/.354 in 139 games) Last year, Marcell had the season I thought he was going to have two years ago. I anticipate more of the same. St. Louis should be a good fit.
9. Aaron Judge — New York Yankees (95/37/95/7/.254/.369 in 141 games) He came back to reality in the second half, but only a little bit. The steamer projections seem conservative considering his outstanding rookie season, and I look at it as a baseline for him.
10. Cody Bellinger — Los Angeles Dodgers (82/36/99/10/.253/.340 in 140 games) Another outstanding rookie, Bellinger can produce very similar numbers to Judge. Judge is in a better lineup and ballpark, and gets the nod here.
11. Andrew Benintendi — Boston Red Sox (91/20/82/16/.286/.361 in 146 games) Capping off a trio of guys coming into their sophomore season, Benintendi may be the most well rounded of the bunch. I would use his Steamer projection as a floor.
12. Justin Upton — Los Angeles Angels (80/29/89/10/.247/.330 in 142 games) It will be interesting to see how Upton produces with a full year in a lineup with Trout. A streaky player, I would prefer to own him in rotisserie rather than head to head.
13. Christian Yelich — Milwaukee Brewers (86/18/72/12/.293/.377 in 145 games) He’s boring, but he always produces. It will be intesting to see how the park switch (from Miami to Milwaukee) effects him. The Brewers lineup will be dangerous.
14. Billy Hamilton — Cincinnati Reds (55/6/41/44/.242/.302 in 122 games) Stolen bases are hard to come by, and owning Hamilton can win you the category by himself.
15. Nelson Cruz — Seattle Mariners (84/35/101/2/.274/.353 in 142 games) Quietly consistent, I would follow him until he doesn’t produce anymore. It’s a risk, because considering his age, it might be this year.
16. A.J. Pollock — Arizona Diamondbacks (85/19/64/24/.283/.347 in 129 games) Even without J.D. Martinez on the roster, Pollock will find himself atop a potent lineup. If he stays healthy, he has twenty homer/thirty steal upside.
17. Byron Buxton — Minnesota Twins (73/21/73/21/.255/.316 in 138 games) He was a bust, then hyped, then a bust, then came back up to the majors and looked pretty good. Power/speed combination players are valuable with the decline of stolen bases around the league.
18. Khris Davis — Oakland Athletics (80/36/97/3/.242/.319 in 142 games) He just crushes homers every year. One of the few players you can bank on for power.
19. Starling Marte — Pittsburgh Pirates (82/17/70/32/.288/.342 in 146 games) Steamer seems high on the home runs, but he will still be a valuable fantasy player this year.
20. Tommy Pham — St. Louis Cardinals (80/20/67/19/.267/.357 in 135 games) Pham was one of the biggest surprises of 2017. As of now he is slotted to hit second in what looks to be a great lineup.
21. Yoenis Cespedes — New York Mets (76/31/85/3/.270/.333 in 131 games) More average, less homers than Khris Davis.
22. Andrew McCutchen — San Francisco Giants (88/25/77/9/.271/.369 in 143 games) It will be interesting to see where Bochy hits him in the lineup. Roster resource has him hitting second right now. He is another guy that feels like he has one more valuable fantasy season in him.
23. Lorenzo Cain — Milwaukee Brewers (79/15/64/17/.288/.348 in 136 games) I like the move to Milwaukee, but entering his age 32 season (and considering his speed helps his fantasy value), he has likely hit his apex and is on the way down.
24. Rhys Hoskins — Philadelphia Phillies (84/36/97/5/.263/.355 in 141 games) He came up and dominated last year. Steamer seems to think he will continue that in 2018. I don’t think he will last in drafts to be around as the 24th ranked outfielder.
25. Yasiel Puig — Los Angeles Dodgers (70/25/79/10/.282/.361 in 127 games) I anticipate more of the same from what we saw in 2017, which is a good thing.
26. Ryan Braun — Milkwakee Brewers (75/26/82/12/.276/.344 in 129 games) The Brewers lineup looks strong, I just wonder if he will be able to stay healthy.
27. Chris Taylor — Los Angeles Dodgers (78/14/59/16/.264/.331 in 139 games) A cheap version of power/speed. He would be a great third outfielder on any fantasy team.
28. Ian Desmond — Colorado Rockies (59/17/61/12/.283/.341 in 109 games) He had a great 2016, then missed some of 2017 and didn’t really hit his stride. I’m willing to roll the dice this year to see if he has any fantasy value left.
29. Ian Happ — Chicago Cubs (68/24/71/10/.249/.320 in 125 games) He was terrific in the minors last year and fared pretty well in his stint in the majors. With this ranking, I’m assuming he gets a decent number of at bats this year.
30. Brett Gardner — New York Yankees (79/15/56/14/.260/.346 in 125 games) He’s likely going to be leading off for one of the best offenses in baseball.
31. Manuel Margot — San Diego Padres (71/14/54/21/.258/.310 in 137 games) He was a great prospect, and may have a season that puts him in the top 20 outfielders next year.
32. Adam Jones — Baltimore Orioles (66/23/68/2/.274/.316 in 113 games) He is much better in leagues that use batting average instead of on base percentage, but in his age 33 season, he still holds solid fantasy value.
33. Jay Bruce — New York Mets (68/28/81/3/.241/.310 in 134 games) I guess the Mets are rebuilding?
34. Nomar Mazara — Texas Rangers (83/25/83/3/.274/.342 in 144 games) He’s young and has potential. Without some more stolen bases, his value will be limited.
35. Gregory Polanco — Pittsburgh Pirates (65/18/71/12/.268/.334 in 134 games) I have coveted Polanco for the past two years, and he hasn’t quite been what anyone has thought he could be. Maybe he puts it all together this year.
36. Kevin Kiermaier — Tampy Bay Rays (58/14/52/15/.257/.321 in 113 games) Kiermaier was having a great season last year until he got hurt. I’ll go back to the well this year to see if he can put together an entire season of solid production.
37. Ender Inciarte — Atlanta Braves (76/9/54/19/.282/.337 in 145 games) The numbers might be boring, but I’ll take anyone with some stolen base punch at this point in the draft.
38. Eddie Rosario — Minnesota Twins (70/22/82/10/.274/.313 in 138 games) Not a sexy fantasy name, but the production is there.
39. Adam Eaton — Washington Nationals (81/12/56/14/.282/.358 in 136 games) This may seem like a low ranking for Eaton, but he has been so impossibly boring his entire career. Leading off in Washington could prove to be fruitful if he can make it for a full season.
40. Adam Duvall — Cincinnati Reds (59/25/74/4/.232/.290 in 123 games) It is yet to be seen how the Reds outfield will look out of camp, but Duvall could be decent value here if he is a starter.
41. Steven Souza Jr. — Tampa Bay Rays (56/19/57/9/.234/.326 in 113 games) When we starting getting down to this point in the rankings, it is really all about upside. Souza had a good fantasy season in 2017, and I don’t see a reason to not be on board for 2018 at this rank.
42. Mitch Haniger — Seattle Mariners (61/18/63/7/.253/.324 in 128 games) A solid all around player with some pop. I think he was towards the top of the player rater in the beginning of the season before his injury. Why not take a shot?
43. Bradley Zimmer — Cleveland Indians (61/15/58/22/.240/.316 in 127 games) I’ll take the speed potential all day, but the counting stats might not be so tasty (slotted to bat 9th on roster resource right now).
44. Odubel Herrera — Philadelphia Phillies (76/15/67/13/.277/.337 in 143 games) A guy that can contribute to five categories. A niceway to round out a fantasy outfield.
45. Corey Dickerson — Tampa Bay Rays (59/20/61/3/.260/.311 in 113 games) Dickerson rebounded a bit after a dissapointing 2016. Twenty five homers and a decent average would do well in any fourth outfield spot.
46. Avisail Garcia — Chicago White Sox (48/15/54/4/.281/.340 in 101 games) He hit .330 with eighteen home runs last year. It will be interesting to see if he can build on that. Depending on how my team looks at this point in the draft, I would be willing to take him and see if he can.
47. Matt Olson — Oakland Athletics (77/31/85/2/.236/.332 in 140 games) Steamer seems to think he will be a power asset, and maybe they’re right. He did pop twenty four homers in fifty nine games last year.
48. Dexter Fowler — St. Louis Cardinals (76/15/58/10/.259/.364 in 126 games) His projections are weak, but he should be hitting leadoff in St. Louis. He should be a valuable fantasy player if he stays healthy.
49. Aaron Altherr — Philadelphia Phillies (53/17/59/7/.251/.325 in 109 games) I’m assuming he gets most of the starts in right field over Nick Williams. If he does, he has the talent to be much better than the 49th ranked outfielder.
50. Mark Trumbo — Baltimore Orioles (55/23/65/1/.253/.311 in 105 games) Remember when he was great in 2016?
51. Max Kepler — Minnesota Twins (59/17/63/6/.261/.332 in 120 games) The German dude has the skills to be a top 100 fantasy player. Maybe he hits his stride in his third full year in the majors.
52. Josh Reddick — Houston Astros (63/17/66/6/.278/.341 in 122 games) He was impossibly bad in the playoffs last year, but he was actually quite good in the regular season.
53. Michael Taylor — Washington Nationals (50/16/56/16/.246/.305 in 115 games) For the first time in his career, he might begin the season as a starter. Another guy with power/speed potential, he’s the type of player I’m targeting to round out my outfield.
54. Jackie Bradley Jr. — Boston Red Sox (67/18/69/7/.259/.340 in 136 games) As much as I think Jackie Bradley has another level he can take his game to, it seems he has shown what type of player he is. You could do worse than twenty plus home runs and ten steals.
55. Kyle Schwarber — Chicago Cubs (68/28/71/3/.241/.340 in 115 games) I just don’t trust him. If he finds his way to being a DH on an American League team, I’ll pay attention.
56. Ronald Acuna — Atlanta Braves (37/10/40/16/.273/.324 in 80 games) He is a highly touted prospect with the possibility of making the opening day roster. Players with this much hype never make it to this point in the draft. If you want him, you’ll have to spend for him.
57. Michael Brantley — Cleveland Indians (51/12/54/8/.292/.360 in 92 games) He might play a full year in 2018. Maybe. But probably not. And it would be worth taking him as the 57th ranked outfielder and finding out.
58. David Peralta — Arizona Diamondbacks (58/13/53/6/.281/.339 in 107 games) He has the potential to be great value at this spot if he’s hitting leadoff in Arizona.
59. Shin-Soo Chooooooo — Texas Rangers (69/17/56/8/.260/.357 in 113 games) He’s going to be 35, but he has aged so well. Because he is a samurai or something.
60. Willie Calhoun — Texas Rangers (60/21/66/3/.278/.329 in 112 games) I wanted to sneak him in the top 60. Some interesting fantasy potential here, but it is a complete risk. He has more power potential than speed, but could contribute to four categories if he can cement himself in the Ranger’s lineup.