2012 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Rankings

Ryan LesterJun 7, 2018

Ryan Braun is in the clear, which puts him right back near the top. Here are the 2012 Lester’s Legends fantasy baseball outfielder rankings.

1. Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers: Matt Kemp was one home run shy of reaching the 40-40 club. Throw in 115 runs, 126 RBI and a .324 batting average (.986 OPS) and you have the most complete fantasy outfielder in baseball.

2. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers: Assuming that his production won’t dip following his failed test and overturned suspension, he’s a fantasy monster.

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3. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays: Bautista followed up his 54 HR campaign with another 43 long balls. Just as impressive was his batting average improvement to .302 (1.055 OPS).

4. Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees: I was high on Granderson last year, and he delivered to the tune of a .262-136-41-119-25 season. If he could improve the average, he could easily be top two.

5. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox: I’d say you were lying if you said you saw the power coming. Ellsbury slugged 32 HRs in 2011. With a .321 average, 119 runs, 105 RBI and 39 SBs, he was easily one of the most complete outfielders last year. He’s just 28, so there is no reason to think he’ll fall off.

6. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies: CarGo was a disappointment in 2011, but he still managed a .295-92-26-92-20 campaign despite missing 35 games.

7. Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks: Hard to argue with a .289-105-31-88-21 line, especially from a 24-year old.

8. Mike Stanton, Miami Marlins: Slugged 34 HRs last year, and the addition of Jose Reyes should provide more RBI opportunities. He could easily lead the league in HRs and RBI.

9. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates: Had a rough season (.259 average) by his standards, but he saw his power jump to 23 HRs. He should be a solid contributor in all five categories.

10. Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds: The power is definitely there. He slugged 34 HRs last year with 97 RBI. He already has 100 career home runs, and he’ll turn just 25 in April.

11. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: Let’s go with a little risk/reward play. Hamilton can flat out rake. He’d be a top-five option if you didn’t have to worry about injury or his addictions.

12. Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals: Albert Pujols is going to be missed. How could he not be? Still, Holliday is coming off a .296-83-22-75-2 line in 124 games. At age 32, he’s not quite ready to lose OF1 status.

13. Carl Crawford, Boston Red Sox: Crawford crashed and burned in Boston and could miss the start of the season. I feel he is too talented not to bounce back though.

14. Hunter Pence, Philadelphia Phillies: Nothing wrong with a .314-84-22-97-8 line. He was even better for the Phillies, posting a .324 average and .954 OPS.

15. Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals: After four mostly disappointing seasons, Gordon finally figured things out. He posted a .303-101-23-87-17 line. With his pedigree, he should be able to build on his success.

16. Michael Bourn, Atlanta Braves: I don’t like overpaying for steals, but Bourn gets you so many. He has averaged 58 SBs over the past three seasons. He should post a decent average and approach 100 runs.

17. Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles: Jones does a bit of everything, as evidenced by his .280-68-25-83-12 line. Assuming he can get his run total back around 80, he should be a solid No. 2 fantasy outfielder.

18. Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays: Zobrist is nice because you can also use him at second base. Aside from his average, his .269-99-20-91-19 line is rock solid.

19. Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers: Cruz can mash (84 HRs over the past three years), but can he stay healthy (130 missed games over the same span)?

20. B.J. Upton, Tampa Bay Rays: He continues to struggle with his average (.241, .237, .243 over past three years), but he has 52 HRs and 120 SBs over the same span.

21. Michael Morse, Washington Nationals: He followed up a strong 2010 second half with a .305-73-31-95-2 line. I’m a believer.

22. Shin-Soo Choo, Cleveland Indians: Choo was limited to 85 games last year, but he has been a solid, across-the-board contributor the past 2.5 years.

23. Corey Hart, Milwaukee Brewers: Hart has averaged 28.5 HRs over the past two seasons and has hit 20 or more in four of the past five. He’ll also steal you a few bases.

24. Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers: Ethier was a shell of himself last year with 11 HRs. He combined for 74 HRs his previous three seasons though. Health is an issue as Ethier has missed 50 games over the past two seasons.

25. Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Phillies: Fresh off a .279-95-17-61-19 season, you know what you’re getting from Victorino: a solid run total, decent HRs and nice SBs. It’s a bonus if he can get his average back around .290.

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