MLB Fantasy Baseball: What About the Rest of the Season?, Pt. 2

Collin HagerJun 6, 2008

Today we take a look at what outfielders will lead the way the rest of the season. Some of these guys are multiple position eligible, so keep that in mind as we go through them. Tomorrow's post might be delayed, something about my being in Boston for the day to attend game 2 of the NBA finals. Here we go!

Top 20 Outfielders

Lance Berkman - Berkman has been just as strong all season. His average isn’t as good as Jones’, but he provides eligibility at two positions and already has 17 home runs.
Alfonso Soriano- After his stint on the DL, Soriano has been nothing but on fire. This is a gut feeling, but I think we’ll see even stronger power numbers the rest of the way.
Ryan Braun– Braun has hit 50 homeruns and driven in over 100 in his first “full” seasons, stretching back to last year. He’s carried the Brewers offense to this point and Milwaukee will not hit this poorly against right-handed starters all year long. Braun will continue what he’s doing, is eligible at multiple positions, and will provide first-round numbers the rest of the way.
Manny Ramirez – Manny may seem like an interesting choice here, but he’s one of the best right-handed hitters ever. The pressure of getting number 500 is off his back, and since that time he’s been on a tear. He loves hitting at home and has started to use the opposite field. When Manny goes the other way, that’s as good as it gets.
Ichiro – You don’t doubt a guy that has 200 hits each of the last seven seasons. He has the speed to bring that category, will hit for average, and has power when he needs it. As bad as the Mariners have been, Ichiro has done what you would have hoped to this point.
Josh Hamilton – He’s leading the American League in home runs right now. He hasn’t had to play a full season before, though, because of the injury last year. And, sad as it is, there’s always that X-factor with him. I like Hamilton a lot, but I don’t think he keeps it up at the same torrid pace. But a top-ten spot isn’t a bad thing.
Carlos Lee– Lee has had at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI in each of the last five seasons (ok four out of five, one was 99 RBI). He’s incredibly consistent with those numbers. Because of where he is now, he’s due for a tear where he just carries both his team and several fantasy teams to wins.
Carl Crawford – His speed and potential for power will carry the Rays to wherever they go in the second half of the season.
Matt Holliday – His hamstring injury concerns me, but he has been amazing for Colorado. Add to that, half his games are in Coors Field. He’ll be back with the Rockies on Tuesday, and look for him to knock at least 25 more home runs the rest of the way.
Alex Rios – Rios hasn’t shown the power we saw last season, but he is still recovering from the injury that sidelined him prior to the break last year. We’re coming up on one year, and I expect those numbers to get much better heading into the summer.
Nick Markakis – The best second-half player on this list. His splits continue to show that his value increases as the weather gets warmer. Grab him now on the cheaper side and ride him through August.
Jacoby Ellsbury – His steals alone make him one-category ultra-valuable. He could steal 50 bases this season, and that’s the first time in a long time we can say that about a Red Sox. He’s doing it with a solid average and a little pop as well. He has all the tools to continue this production and we haven’t seen fall off from what was a tremendous post-season run.
Corey Hart – Another player from the Brewers. Hart’s numbers got much better in May and we’re seeing the return of his power game. Hart didn’t see the power numbers in April, but he had a much better May. I’m calling 30 home runs right now.
Vlad Guerrero – Having knee problems, but if healthy he’s 30/100 waiting to happen. He plays in a division that will let him see some weak pitching out of Seattle and Texas, which will help his stats the rest of the way.
Jay Bruce – Tough to read the guy, but if he stays up the rest of the season, he’ll provide numbers like we saw from Braun last year at his call up. Bruce has the rare tools to provide a huge boost to fantasy owners.
Magglio Ordonez – He’s already hitting .320 and people want more. He’s got 9 home runs, and we want more. He’s on pace for 110 RBI, and that’s not good enough. The Tigers have been bad, but not because of him. 30/110 isn’t out of the question here either.
Grady Sizemore – Despite the .257 average, he’s on pace for 33/86. I think the average will get better and we’ll see a few more steals out of him in the second half. Cleveland will need him for that to see much more success.
Carlos Beltran – I feel this is too low. He’s got the speed to steal 20 bases, the power to hit 30 home runs, and the offense to help him drive in 90. He’s on pace for the RBI, but not the power numbers. I think he does better than the 16 he’s on pace for.
Adam Dunn – Sure, he might hit about .260, but he’ll mash 40 home runs.
Hunter Pence – Absolutely tore up May. The kid is a .300 hitter with 20 home run potential. He’s already had one solid run, I think he has a couple more in him here.