Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2012: Outfielders Who Will Carry Your Team

Selecting the right guy with your first pick is essential. Every good team needs a player they can count on to produce day in and day out.

The outfield is the best spot to find that. This is a position loaded with high-impact players, and it means their value won't be skewed by their position. 

Here are three outfielders that are worth a top selection. 

Matt Kemp, Dodgers

Kemp is coming off of an amazing year, and there is no reason to think he won't put up numbers in the neighborhood of last year's. 

Last season, he was fantasy's most valuable player. This is what happens when you hit .324, bash 39 home runs and steal 40 bases. 

Kemp was the first player in history to have more than 35 stolen bases and 35 home runs while hitting over .320. 

Kemp showed sustainable gains at the plate to indicate that he can continue this type of production. For example, he raised his walk rate of 7.9 percent from the previous season to 10.7. He also dropped his strikeout rate over two percent. 

Count your lucky stars if you have a chance to draft Kemp. 

Ryan Braun, Brewers

Kemp wasn't the most valuable fantasy player last season by a big margin. That is because Ryan Braun also put up an amazing display of speed and power with 33 home runs and 33 steals. 

Braun also hit .332 and had a sparkling, career-best contact percentage of 83.5, while also lowering his strikeout rate. There is every reason to believe he will have another stellar season. 

The biggest drawback to Braun was that he was going to have to serve a 50-game suspension, but he will no longer have to after a successful appeal. The only thing owners have to worry about is whether  the situation will affect him mentally. 

This shouldn't be a big concern. He is too talented to let something like this bring down his play. 

Jose Bautista, Blue Jays

After two spectacular seasons, Bautista has proven he can be counted on to perform at a high level. He is one of the best power hitters in the game, and he makes contact. 

Last season, he saw his home runs drop from 54 to 43, but he raised his average from .260 to .302. 

Bautista is one of the few players that you can pencil in for at least 40 home runs. He is also going to get plenty of RBI hitting in the middle of a decent Blue Jays lineup.