December 2, 2010

Early 2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: OF

Other Positions: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP |

Only in the outfield can you find numerous 20/20 candidates waiting you outside of the first few rounds. It is stacked like Pam Anderson. Circa 1995 of course. Here's the top 25 guys I'd want filling my outfield slots.
  1. Carl Crawford, Rays- Only 17 of Crawford's steals came on the fake Tropicana Field. Imagining what he can do when he doesn't call it home, makes me all tingly inside.
  2. Ryan Braun, Brewers- No one has been a more consistent all-around threat in the outfield than Braun. If he played third, he could make a run at #1 pick.
  3. Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies- CarGo will be this year's hot pick. I don't think he will make it out of the first round in any roto draft (unless you play with 4 teams).
  4. Josh Hamilton, Rangers- Hamilton returned to form last year and absolutely raked. His talent is undeniable.
  5. Matt Holliday, Cardinals- Not only does he hit behind the best hitter in baseball, Holliday swing a big stick himself.
  6. Matt Kemp, Dodgers- It's tough to endorse the guy, but after what he did in 2010's final week, he definitely has the talent to be a top 5 player.
  7. Alex Rios, White Sox- 5-tool player who calls one of the best hitter's parks in the nation his home. Great situation.
  8. Justin Upton, Diamondbacks- One of the best bats out there. If this is the year he truly breaks out, he could be special.
  9. Andrew McCutchen, Pirates- A young guy with a great swing and a hell of a set of wheels. He might be a reach, but its one I'm willing to take.
  10. Jayson Werth- Wherever he ends up will probably be worse than Philly, but if 27 homers and 13 steals is a down year, I'll take him any day.
  11. Nelson Cruz, Rangers- One of those 20/20 guys you can find outside of the first 2 rounds.
  12. Shin-Soo Choo, Indians- Same story. Except he actually did it last year.
  13. Jason Heyward, Braves- The J-Hey Kid looked like Superman early in the year. Hopefully he can do it all year long this time.
  14. Jose Bautista, Blue Jays- I already touched on this guy at third base.
  15. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners- Homers and RBIs Ichiro does not do. Everything else, he's elite.
  16. Hunter Pence, Astros- Finally came into his own last year.
  17. Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox- One of the most hyped players last year. If he makes a full recovery, he could be a major steal.
  18. Andre Ethier, Dodgers- If the Dodgers can turn it around, his runs and RBIs could go up. If not, his lack of speed underwhelms me.
  19. Chris Young, Diamondbacks- One of 2010's best surprises. I just hope his average doesn't go down from the .250s.
  20. Corey Hart, Brewers- One of the few bright spots for the Brewers. Finally showed what his hulk-like figure can lead to.
  21. Delmon Young, Twins- The return of Morneau should help balance out his runs and RBIs.
  22. Colby Rasmus, Cardinals- A 25/10 season is considered underachieving for this young stud. That's scary.
  23. Curtis Granderson, Yankees- I'm a big believer in the resurrection of Granderson. Especially after the fixes he made to his swing late last year.
  24. Mike Stanton, Marlins- Stanton shot onto the scene last year. I think he is talented enough to evade a sophomore slump.
  25. Juan Pierre, White Sox- 68 steals is out of this world. Especially when you have an everyday spot at the top of a potent lineup.
Check back tomorrow as we stop looking at the guys with the bats and focus our attention on the mound.