Here’s an early look at the 2011 outfielder rankings:
1. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies: All CarGo did last year was hit .336 with 111 runs, 34 HRs, 117 RBI and 26 SBs. He’s the total package.
2. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers: Braun regressed in 2010 (-12 runs, 7 HRs, -11 RBI, –6 RBI), but he has still averaged a .307-99-32-105-16 line in his four years.
3. Carl Crawford, Boston Red Sox: Crawford won’t give you the power as some of the elite outfielders, but he makes up for it with his speed. He’s familiar with the AL East pitching and should flourish in Boston’s lineup.
4. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: Hamilton absolutely bounced back last year. He lead the majors with a 1.044 OPS and a .359 batting average. Throw in 95 runs, 32 HRs, 100 RBI and eight SBs and you clearly have one of the top hitters in the game. His only downside is the risk of injury.
5. Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals: Holliday is a little less sexy, but you have to be pleased with a .312-95-28-103-9 season. He won’t put up the gaudy Colorado numbers for St. Louis, but he’s remains a top-five fantasy outfielder.
6. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers: Kemp struggled last year (.249-82-28-89-19), but he is still one of the few candidates to produce a 30-30 season.
7. Alex Rios, Chicago White Sox: Rios (.284-89-21-88-34) was one of two outfielders with 20+ HRs and 30+ SBs. He has averaged 89.3 runs, 19.3 HRs, 80.8 RBI and 26.8 SBs over the past four seasons.
8. Shin-Soo Choo, Cleveland Indians: He gets little fanfare because he plays in Cleveland, but Choo has averaged a .300-84-21-88-21.5 line over the past two seasons.
9. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates: Looking for a solid average, a healthy amount of steals, a bunch of runs and decent power. You’ve just describe McCutchen, who displayed no signs of a sophomore slump posting a .286-94-16-56-33 line last year.
10. Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers: He’s only averaged 118 games in the past two seasons, but when he’s played he’s been a force averaging 67.5 runs, 27.5 HRs, 77 RBI and 18.5 SBs.
11. Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers: Ethier got off to an unbelievable start hitting .380 with 25 runs, 11 HRs and 38 RBI in the first two months (129 ABs). He wasn’t quite the same after fracturing his knuckle, hitting .263 with 46 runs, 12 HRs and 44 RBI the rest of the season (388 ABs). He’s a solid bet for 90 runs, 30 HRs and 100 RBI, though.
12. Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees: It took him a little while to get going with New York, but Granderson hit 17 HRs in his final 241 ABs after hitting just seven in his first 225. In his second season in the Bronx, Granderson should approach 30 HRs with 90 runs, 70 RBI and 20 SBs.
13. Jason Heyward,Atlanta Braves: Heyward was 20 a good chunk of the season and hit .277 with 83 runs, 18 HR, 72 RBI and 11 SB. While 11 of his 18 HRs came before the All-Star break, his OPS was .055 higher in the second half (.876 compared to .821).
14. Hunter Pence, Houston Astros: Pence is just a solid performer. He has exactly 25 HRs in his past three seasons. He set career highs in runs (93), RBI (91) and SBs (18). My only concern is Houston’s lineup.
15. Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks: Upton regressed to a .273-73-17-69-18 season, but his age and HR/SB potential still make him a desirable fantasy option.
16. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays: While a sharp decline in HRs (54) and RBI (124) is expected, it’s still hard to overlook that kind of production, especially when it comes with positional flexibility (3B).
17. Colby Rasmus, St. Louis Cardinals: Rasmus (.276-85-23-66-12) improved across the board (+13 runs, +7 HR, +14 RBI, +9 SB, +.025 BA, +.145 OPS). Another step forward would put him with the best fantasy outfielders in baseball.
18. Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds: Bruce may not have reached full-fledged stardom like Joey Votto, but he did take a major step forward with a career best average (.281), runs (80), HRs (25) and RBI (70). A 30 HR, 90 RBI season is a strong likelihood.
19. Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals: I’m a little concerned how Werth will produce without Phillies’ lineup. Still he’s been one of the most productive outfielders over the past two seasons.
20. Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks: It took him some time, but Young finally figured some things out last year posting a .257-94-27-91-28 line. It’s been a bumpy couple of years for Young, but if you can stomach the average, which was actually a career high last year, you get a nice HR/SB combo.
21. Mike Stanton, Florida Marlins: Stanton is loaded with potential. His .259-45-22-59-5 line in 100 games was solid. The tear he went on in September when he hit .316 with 16 runs, eight HR and 19 RBIs has fantasy owners salivating.
22. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox: It will be interesting to see how the Red Sox use Crawford and Ellsbury. He is a game-changer in the SB category.
23. Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers: Hart bounced back last year with a .282-91-31-102-7 line. The power is good, but his fantasy value took a hit when he started running less (13 SBs attempts compared to 30 in 2007 and 2008).
24. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners: The run total (74) slipped for the second straight year and he makes barely a blip in your HR category, but the .310+ average and the 40+ SBs are enough to earn him a slot in the top 25.
25. Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Phillies: Victorino (.259-84-18-69-34) doesn’t bring elite speed to the table, but he’s averaged 33 SBs over the past four seasons. If his career high 18 HRs can be matched, he’ll be a quality second outfielder.
Also check out:
- 2011 Fantasy First Basemen Rankings
- 2011 Fantasy Second Basemen Rankings
- 2011 Fantasy Third Basemen Rankings
- 2011 Fantasy Shortstop Rankings
- 2011 Fantasy Catcher Rankings
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