2015 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Rankings
Here’s the first look at the 2015 Lester’s Legends Outfielder Rankings.
1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout has emerged as the premier fantasy baseball player. In the past three years, he has hit .311 with 117.7 runs, 181.7 hits, 35 doubles, 8.7 triples, 31 home runs, 97 RBI and 32.7 stolen bases. Trout will turn 24 in August. The sky is the limit.
2. Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
Andrew McCutchen has hit .301 over the past five seasons while averaging 94.8 runs, 23.2 home runs, 81.6 RBI and 24.2 stolen bases. He's a step down from Trout but can easily be considered the second overall player in fantasy baseball.
3. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
Giancarlo Stanton has hit .273 over the past four seasons while averaging 76.3 runs, 33 home runs, 85 RBI and 6.3 stolen bases. In 2014, he stepped things up with a .288-89-37-105-13 line. If he can swipe double-digit bases, Stanton can challenge for that second spot.
4. Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee Brewers
Carlos Gomez has hit .277 over the past three seasons while averaging 82.3 runs, 22 home runs, 65.7 RBI and 37 stolen bases. He’s a terrific power-speed combo option.
5. Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays
Jose Bautista is one of the pre-eminent power options in the league. Over the past five seasons, he has averaged 92.2 runs, 37.4 home runs, 93.6 RBI and 7.2 stolen bases while hitting .272.
6. Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles
Adam Jones has been one of the most well-rounded fantasy options over the past four years. He has hit .283 with 89.8 runs, 29.8 home runs, 92.3 RBI and 12.3 stolen bases per year.
7. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians
Michael Brantley hit .327 in 2014 with 94 runs, 20 home runs, 97 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Brantley does not have the track record of the top six, but his 2014 numbers rival all of them.
8. Jacoby Ellsbury, New York Yankees
Jacoby Ellsbury hit .271 in his first season with the New York Yankees with 71 runs, 16 home runs, 70 RBI and 39 stolen bases. Ellsbury has had 39 or more stolen bases in five of the past seven seasons.
9. Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
Yasiel Puig has hit .305 in his two years while averaging 79 runs, 17.5 home runs, 55.5 RBI and 11 stolen bases per season. He has the talent to break out in a big way.
10. Justin Upton, San Diego Padres
Justin Upton has hit .279 over the past six seasons while averaging 90 runs, 24.5 home runs, 80.3 RBI and 15.5 stolen bases. His move to San Diego hurts his value, but he’s still a high-end option.
11. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
Ryan Braun hit .266 with 68 runs, 19 home runs, 81 RBI and 11 stolen bases as he returned from his PED suspension. He remains a solid fantasy option even if he no longer puts up bloated numbers.
12. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
Bryce Harper hit .273 with 41 runs, 13 home runs, 32 RBI and two stolen bases in 100 games. He remains a breakout candidate but needs to stay healthy. Harper has averaged 119 games per season during his three-year career.
13. Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants
Hunter Pence has hit .284 during his eight-year career while averaging 84 runs, 23.1 home runs, 86.1 RBI and 12.8 stolen bases. Pence does not excel in any one category, but he’s solid across the board.
14. Corey Dickerson, Colorado Rockies
Corey Dickerson emerged in 2014 as a high-end outfielder, hitting .312 with 74 runs, 24 home runs, 76 RBI and eight stolen bases.
15. Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies
Carlos Gonzalez hit .238 with 35 runs, 11 home runs, 38 RBI and three stolen bases despite a knee injury that limited him to 70 games. From 2010-2013, CarGo hit .311 while averaging 91 runs, 27 home runs, 91 RBI and 21.8 stolen bases in just 129.3 games per season.
16. Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
Billy Hamilton is the pre-eminent speed option. He hit .250 with 72 runs, six home runs, 48 RBI and 56 stolen bases. With his speed, he should improve on his .304 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), which will increase his counting numbers. His stolen-base total could easily climb to 80.
17. Matt Kemp, San Diego Padres
Matt Kemp joins Justin Upton in San Diego’s revamped outfield. He hit .287 with 77 runs, 25 home runs, 89 RBI and eight stolen bases last year. If you throw out 2013, Kemp has averaged 89 runs, 28.2 home runs and 94.8 RBI.
18. Yoenis Cespedes, Detroit Tigers
Yoenis Cespedes is hitting .263 in his three-year career while averaging 77.7 runs, 23.7 home runs, 87.3 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He should be able to build on those totals in Detroit’s potent offense.
19. Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners
Nelson Cruz hit .271 with 87 runs, 40 home runs, 108 RBI and four stolen bases in 2014. He will turn 35 this summer and has moved to Seattle, which should hurt his power numbers. Cruz has averaged 29.2 home runs over the past six seasons.
20. Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
Starling Marte has hit .286 over the past two seasons while averaging 78 runs, 12.5 home runs, 45.5 RBI and 35.5 stolen bases. He’s a great option to bolster your stolen-base category.
This article first appeared on LestersLegends.com.
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