Welcome back to our January ranking breakdowns! This is a continuation of yesterday's outfield rankings.
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. Assume a standard 5x5 redraft league when reading.
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.
Outfield Rankings Analysis (Part 2)
Tier 6
Continuing my analysis from yesterday's post, we approach the sixth tier for 2016 outfielders. Since the position is so deep with talent, it may not be a bad idea to wait on your last outfielder. We are starting to fall away from four- or five-category players, and are approaching the guys who will help you in two or three of the offensive categories. The one player I believe should be much higher on this list because of his ability to produce across the board is Wil Myers. A former top prospect, Myers has struggled with injuries over his first three years in the majors, but still has that 30-10-.300 potential he displayed in the minors. I completely understand my fellow rankers' decisions to keep him out of their top 50 (with the exception of Jeff, who has him at 43), but I haven't lost hope for the 25-year-old.
As I mentioned yesterday, you can get a similar combination of speed and average to A.J. Pollock in this tier with Delino DeShields or Billy Burns. Now, you won't get Pollock's home run potential -- which, as I previously stated, I expect to be less than it was last year -- but both guys can steal 40-50 bases to go along with a respectable slash line. I am obviously not claiming these guys to be on Pollock's level, but they are better value given where they are expected to go in the draft. Pollock's average draft position is 16 overall, while Burns and DeShields have ADPs of 176 and 224, respectively. Who wouldn't be happy with 50 stolen bases from an 18th round pick?
Tier 7
As we hit tier seven, we are pretty much past players who are worth rostering in 3OF, mixed leagues. Still, that doesn't mean there aren't appealing options. Owners desperate for power could take a shot on Jay Bruce, Mark Trumbo, Colby Rasmus or Brandon Moss, and those in need of speed could grab Cameron Maybin, Odubel Herrera, Eddie Rosario or Aaron Altherr. However, the most intriguing name, in my opinion, is Byron Buxton. The No. 1 prospect in all of baseball saw his first stint in the majors derailed by injuries, but he is expected to start the season in center field and at the top of the Twins' lineup, and could be ready to break out. For crying out loud, he slashed .400/.441/.545 in 55 at-bats in Triple-A last season. He is more than capable of a 10/30 season, it's just a question of whether or not he is ready. I will be trusting his upside on draft day.
Tier 8
You really have to be pretty desperate in any mixed league, no matter how deep, to draft one of these guys. The sole exception is Denard Span, who owns a career .287/.352/.395 slash line but is coming off hip surgery that raises lots of concerns about his ability to stay healthy and produce going forward. Other than that, you have some power hitters with repulsive averages, dual-eligibility players who are much more appealing in the infield and defensive-minded players with mild power and speed numbers.
Tier 9
We've finally made it. Tier nine has a couple of hidden gems, but for the most part, these players can be ignored in all but the deepest of AL- and NL-Only Leagues. This group consists of every outfielder who made it onto at leas person's rankings, but not everyone's.
Jarrod Dyson is one name to keep an eye on. He might not play everyday, but even in a platoon he should steal 30-40 bases. Honestly, even as a pinch runner he will find his fair share of stolen bases. He's not a very well-rounded player, but he provides more upside than anyone else that will be available this late in the draft.
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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