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Welcome to the next installment of our January ranking breakdowns! If you’re like us here at RotoBaller, you’ve been huddled around the stove awaiting that precious heat for a while now. While there are still some free agent dominoes yet to fall, we've seen quite the flurry of moves.
This round of rankings features seven of our experts. They are Brad Johnson, Max Petrie, Kyle Bishop, Harris Yudin, Jeff Kahntroff, Bill Dubiel, and Nick Mariano. Today we'll cover second base. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league when reading. You can also read part two of my outfield analysis (tiers 6-9).
By the way, be sure to also see our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard, which is already loaded up with lots of great articles. Aside from staff rankings across all positions, we also dig into MLB prospect rankings, and dynasty/keeper rankings as well.
2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Outfield
Tier 1
The top tier is a no-brainer-- Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are the clear-cut top two outfielders. Both are on the right side of 25 with an Most Valuable Player award under their belts. I was the only one to rank Harper first - my colleagues all preferred Trout - but you really can't go wrong with either one. Not only are they the best outfielders, but they should the top two overall picks in your draft (although Paul Goldschmidt sneaking in there wouldn't be crazy).
Tier 2
Tier two is made up of eight players. Four of them are seasoned veterans who have earned a spot atop the rankings: Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew McCutchen, Jose Bautista and Ryan Braun. The other four are young guys battling their way to the forefront: George Springer, Mookie Betts, A.J. Pollock and Starling Marte. The veterans, and Springer, were in the top 11 of everyone's rankings. Betts (14, Bill), Pollock (18, Harris) and Marte (14, Harris) all had one ranking that fell just below.
The guy I really want to talk about is Pollock. Of course, my ranking him 18th is what sticks out the most upon looking at the rankings. Now, I'm not denying that he had an incredibly impressive 2015 campaign, but where did it come from? He hit 20 home runs in 2015. In 2013 and 2014, respectively, he hit eight and seven. Granted, he had much fewer at-bats, but if you prorate those numbers into the 609 AB he had 2015, you get 11 and 16 - even that would've come as a surprise to me. In 978 AB between 2011 and 2012, Pollock hit 11 HR. And it's not like he was a 20-year-old prospect at the time. That came in his 23- and 24-year-old seasons, and it made sense considering he had above-average grades in hitting and speed, but not power.
As far as speed and batting average go, you can find that from Ben Revere, Delino Deshields or Billy Burns further down the line. Pollock is undoubtedly a talented player who can help you in every category, but ranking him ahead of Braun, who was one stolen base shy of his third career 25/25 season in 2015, and Nelson Cruz, who has hit 40 or more homers in each of the last two years, just doesn't sit well with me. Perhaps I unfairly ranked him as an act of rebellion - he probably belongs in the 12-15 range - but I cannot comprehend him being the sixth best fantasy outfielder. Power is far too important to pass up on early - it's easier to find a combination of speed and average than power and average late in the draft.
Tier 3
Cruz, J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton all made an appearance in someone's top 10, but they are typically seen as third-tier players. I seem to be higher than my fellow rankers on Cruz, Carlos Gonzalez and Yoenis Cespedes, and much lower on Adam Jones. He is only 30 but has seen his batting average and on-base percentage drop with each of the last three years. Additionally, he has essentially stopped running altogether, with just four stolen base attempts in 2015. His 0.24 walk-to-strikeout ratio puts him 130th out of 143 hitters with at least 500 plate appearances. Yes, he will still hit 25-30 homers and drive in 80-90 runs, but the rest of the numbers are concerning, and I cannot trust him over someone like Jason Heyward, who, at just 26 years old, brings 15 HR/25 SB potential and an improved ability to get on base.
Tier 4
The biggest story line of tier four is veterans who had off years in 2015. Yasiel Puig, Jacoby Ellsbury and Michael Brantley were all much higher on this list a year ago, and all three are very capable of bouncing back towards the top of the list in 2016. Also in this tier is a group of young bats who could very well break out this year: Kole Calhoun, Christian Yelich, Joc Pederson and Jorge Soler.
My RotoBaller colleagues have yet to join me on the Yelich bandwagon. The 24-year-old owns a minor league career slash line of .311/.386/.497, and over his two full seasons in the minors in 2011 and 2012, he hit 27 HR and posted 52 SB over 862 AB. While his counting stats haven't quite come around in the big leagues, he has hit over .280 with at least a .360 OBP in each of his three seasons in the majors. He is incredibly athletic and has a smooth, fast bat that allows him to find gaps all over the field. He is a mature hitter who should continue to improve all five of his tools, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Miami Marlins' former top prospect posted a stat line of 15 HR, 25 SB and a .300/.370/.440 slash line.
Tier 5
We start to see a bit of a drop-off in the fifth tier. We have some young hitters with untapped potential, a few speedsters and a handful of troubled veterans looking to get back on track. Randal Grichuk is a polarizing player in this tier, with his ranking varying from 34 to 66. My concern with Grichuk is his alarmingly high strikeout rate (31.4% in 2015), and low walk rate (6.3%). He is a talented hitter with an above-average power grade, which is why Kyle understandably likes him so much, I just feel as though guys like Wil Myers and Steven Souza have more upside, and Mark Trumbo and Khris Davis haven proven more in terms of power.
Outfield Rankings for 2016 Fantasy Baseball
| Rank | Tier | Name | Brad | Max | Kyle | Nick | Harris | Jeff | Bill |
| 1 | 1 | Mike Trout | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Bryce Harper | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | Giancarlo Stanton | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Andrew McCutchen | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | Jose Bautista | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| 6 | 2 | George Springer | 6 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| 7 | 2 | A.J. Pollock | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 18 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | 2 | Mookie Betts | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 9 | 2 | Starling Marte | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 8 |
| 10 | 2 | Ryan Braun | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| 11 | 3 | J.D. Martinez | 9 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 10 |
| 12 | 3 | Justin Upton | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 |
| 13 | 3 | Nelson Cruz | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 16 |
| 14 | 3 | Charlie Blackmon | 13 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 15 | 15 |
| 15 | 3 | Lorenzo Cain | 19 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 12 |
| 16 | 3 | Adam Jones | 20 | 11 | 21 | 14 | 25 | 19 | 11 |
| 17 | 3 | Carlos Gonzalez | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 22 | 18 |
| 18 | 3 | Kyle Schwarber | 16 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 25 | 17 |
| 19 | 3 | Carlos Gomez | 12 | 14 | 24 | 20 | 24 | 13 | 19 |
| 20 | 3 | Yoenis Cespedes | 25 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 20 | 20 |
| 21 | 3 | Jason Heyward | 18 | 19 | 17 | 24 | 17 | 26 | 21 |
| 22 | 4 | Yasiel Puig | 23 | 22 | 18 | 25 | 27 | 17 | 24 |
| 23 | 4 | Corey Dickerson | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 33 | 21 | 22 |
| 24 | 4 | Jacoby Ellsbury | 24 | 25 | 35 | 29 | 20 | 18 | 25 |
| 25 | 4 | Hunter Pence | 28 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 35 | 23 | 23 |
| 26 | 4 | Brett Gardner | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 24 | 31 |
| 27 | 4 | Curtis Granderson | 31 | 33 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 33 | 26 |
| 28 | 4 | Alex Gordon | 26 | 30 | 32 | 33 | 28 | 38 | 29 |
| 29 | 4 | Kole Calhoun | 29 | 28 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 28 |
| 30 | 4 | David Peralta | 36 | 31 | 25 | 27 | 39 | 32 | 32 |
| 31 | 4 | Michael Brantley | 46 | 38 | 37 | 23 | 26 | 34 | 27 |
| 32 | 4 | Matt Holliday | 38 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 43 | 31 | 30 |
| 33 | 4 | Joc Pederson | 34 | 40 | 26 | 38 | 22 | 37 | 35 |
| 34 | 4 | Christian Yelich | 30 | 37 | 39 | 34 | 21 | 35 | 36 |
| 35 | 4 | Billy Hamilton | 21 | 25 | 45 | 51 | 29 | 28 | 34 |
| 36 | 4 | Jorge Soler | 40 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 38 | 30 | 33 |
| 37 | 5 | Shin-Soo Choo | 35 | 34 | 38 | 37 | 30 | 42 | 40 |
| 38 | 5 | Gregory Polanco | 42 | 36 | 41 | 44 | 44 | 27 | 36 |
| 39 | 5 | Michael Conforto | 32 | 35 | 40 | 47 | 37 | 40 | 42 |
| 40 | 5 | Adam Eaton | 47 | 42 | 29 | 35 | 57 | 29 | 39 |
| 41 | 5 | Josh Reddick | 33 | 41 | 36 | 41 | 54 | 41 | 38 |
| 42 | 5 | Dexter Fowler | 44 | 45 | 43 | 39 | 32 | 49 | 43 |
| 43 | 5 | Stephen Piscotty | 37 | 39 | 48 | 36 | 40 | 53 | 44 |
| 44 | 5 | Hanley Ramirez | 45 | 48 | 44 | 40 | 45 | 48 | 46 |
| 45 | 5 | Matt Kemp | 39 | 49 | 42 | 43 | 53 | 50 | 41 |
| 46 | 5 | Randal Grichuk | 41 | 46 | 34 | 42 | 66 | 46 | 45 |
| 47 | 5 | Ben Revere | 52 | 51 | 49 | 51 | 42 | 45 | 48 |
| 48 | 6 | Steven Souza | 53 | 49 | 47 | 48 | 46 | 54 | 61 |
| 49 | 6 | Ender Inciarte | 57 | 44 | 46 | 53 | 60 | 52 | 47 |
| 50 | 6 | Kevin Pillar | 62 | 56 | 51 | 49 | 48 | 47 | 51 |
| 51 | 6 | Evan Gattis | 43 | 47 | 55 | 45 | 62 | 73 | 49 |
| 52 | 6 | Delino Deshields | 65 | 50 | 57 | 50 | 41 | 59 | 53 |
| 53 | 6 | Wil Myers | 68 | 60 | 56 | 58 | 36 | 43 | 58 |
| 54 | 6 | Jayson Werth | 48 | 62 | 53 | 55 | 67 | 44 | 52 |
| 55 | 6 | Ben Zobrist | 51 | 52 | 58 | 54 | 55 | 63 | 50 |
| 56 | 6 | Khris Davis | 63 | 61 | 52 | 46 | 49 | 51 | 62 |
| 57 | 6 | Billy Burns | 60 | 54 | 54 | 59 | 51 | 55 | 55 |
| 58 | 6 | Marcell Ozuna | 67 | 57 | 50 | 56 | 64 | 57 | 57 |
| 59 | 6 | Melky Cabrera | 54 | 53 | 59 | 57 | 76 | 62 | 54 |
| 60 | 7 | Gerardo Parra | 56 | 55 | 65 | 64 | 69 | 71 | 60 |
| 61 | 7 | Cameron Maybin | 70 | 59 | 62 | 60 | 73 | 60 | 59 |
| 62 | 7 | Rusney Castillo | 69 | 58 | 64 | 68 | 75 | 56 | 68 |
| 63 | 7 | Carlos Beltran | 61 | 68 | 63 | 62 | 81 | 58 | 66 |
| 64 | 7 | Odubel Herrera | 55 | 66 | 60 | 72 | 85 | 66 | 56 |
| 65 | 7 | Eddie Rosario | 58 | 65 | 67 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 67 |
| 66 | 7 | Jay Bruce | 64 | 69 | 68 | 63 | 63 | 65 | 69 |
| 67 | 7 | Aaron Altherr | 59 | 63 | 61 | 61 | 92 | 68 | 65 |
| 68 | 7 | Mark Trumbo | 77 | 78 | 69 | 70 | 59 | 39 | 74 |
| 69 | 7 | Colby Rasmus | 71 | 75 | 66 | 65 | 52 | 70 | 72 |
| 70 | 7 | Brandon Moss | 49 | 71 | 72 | 67 | 77 | 74 | 64 |
| 71 | 7 | Byron Buxton | 75 | 77 | 74 | 76 | 47 | 61 | 70 |
| 72 | 7 | Aaron Hicks | 76 | 67 | 70 | 66 | 71 | 69 | 63 |
| 73 | 8 | Danny Valencia | 50 | 64 | 79 | 73 | 80 | 81 | 73 |
| 74 | 8 | Denard Span | 74 | 73 | 86 | 75 | 58 | 64 | 71 |
| 75 | 8 | Brad Miller | 66 | 70 | 71 | 77 | 72 | 72 | 76 |
| 76 | 8 | Nori Aoki | 73 | 72 | 80 | 78 | 56 | 75 | 88 |
| 77 | 8 | Marlon Byrd | 79 | 79 | 73 | 74 | 88 | 80 | 75 |
| 78 | 8 | Kevin Kiermaier | 83 | 84 | 75 | 82 | 74 | 73 | 80 |
| 79 | 8 | Domingo Santana | 80 | 82 | 77 | 85 | 66 | 76 | 87 |
| 80 | 8 | Chris Colabello | 93 | 80 | 84 | 71 | 78 | 90 | 86 |
| 81 | 8 | Brock Holt | 78 | 83 | 81 | 80 | 93 | 91 | 79 |
| 82 | 8 | Jackie Bradley Jr. | 95 | 96 | 83 | 86 | 79 | 77 | 90 |
| 83 | 9 | Leonys Martin | 94 | 93 | 95 | 95 | 61 | 93 | - |
| 84 | 9 | Yasmany Tomas | - | 74 | 96 | 84 | 82 | 78 | 82 |
| 85 | 9 | Derek Dietrich | 82 | 95 | 76 | 81 | - | 88 | 81 |
| 86 | 9 | Jarrod Dyson | - | 81 | 94 | 104 | 50 | 94 | - |
| 87 | 9 | Mark Canha | - | 89 | 82 | 89 | 84 | 86 | 78 |
| 88 | 9 | Austin Jackson | 72 | 94 | 88 | 79 | 91 | 87 | - |
| 89 | 9 | Anthony Gose | - | 97 | 85 | 83 | 87 | 82 | 77 |
| 90 | 9 | Dalton Pompey | 86 | 76 | 78 | 97 | 86 | 97 | - |
| 91 | 9 | Desmond Jennings | - | 86 | - | 99 | 70 | 92 | - |
| 92 | 9 | Preston Tucker | - | 85 | 91 | 90 | - | 85 | 83 |
| 93 | 9 | Eduardo Escobar | - | 88 | 89 | 87 | - | 84 | 89 |
| 94 | 9 | Andre Ethier | 85 | 90 | 87 | 92 | 99 | 83 | - |
| 95 | 9 | Franklin Gutierrez | 94 | 97 | 90 | 91 | - | 79 | 91 |
| 96 | 9 | Avisail Garcia | - | 87 | 98 | 100 | 83 | - | - |
| 97 | 9 | Alex Rios | 88 | 91 | 99 | 96 | 95 | - | 84 |
| 98 | 9 | Nick Markakis | 87 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 100 | - |
| 99 | 9 | Michael Taylor | 89 | 98 | 92 | 88 | 94 | 98 | - |
| 100 | 9 | Chris Coghlan | 84 | 99 | 100 | 93 | - | - | |
| 101 | 9 | Josh Hamilton | 91 | 102 | 97 | 98 | 98 | 89 | - |
| 102 | 9 | Adam Duvall | 90 | 100 | - | 102 | 89 | 99 | - |
| 103 | 9 | Oswaldo Arcia | - | 101 | - | 103 | 100 | 96 | 85 |
| 104 | 9 | Coco Crisp | 92 | 102 | - | 101 | 97 | 95 | - |
| 105 | 9 | Will Venable | - | 104 | - | 105 | 96 | - | - |
| 106 | 9 | Seth Smith | - | 103 | - | - | - | - | - |
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