Welcome back! This is the second part of the outfield breakdown for our February ranks.
Brad Johnson, Max Petrie, Kyle Bishop, Harris Yudin, Jeff Kahntroff, Bill Dubiel, and I bring you that straight fire when it comes to helping you prepare yourself for the fantasy baseball season. Let's get right back to it, as we have plenty to dig through.
Editor's note: Be sure to also check out 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 Analysis: Outfield (Part Two)
Tier Five
There are only eight players to be found here, so it's a relatively small tier. I’m the lowest on Michael Conforto as I’m concerned that his playing time gets toyed with. Gregory Polanco could take a big stride this year if he consistently brings his bat to the game. Josh Reddick is a quiet producer, and so long as he stays healthy should be a solid source of counting stats for owners. Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk are both drawing interest as Piscotty appears to be the more balanced hitter, but Grichuk brings the boomstick.
Hanley Ramirez looks to shift to first base, but for us he is an outfielder, and the hope is that he can regain that swing of his in the middle of a very potent Boston lineup. Dexter Fowler has top of the lineup potential no matter where he signs, and if Baltimore grabs him and he hits in front of Manny Machado and Chris Davis, well bully for him. Matt Kemp is by himself in San Diego now, but he is the kind of player who still puts up good numbers even in a “bad year”. He set a career-high in pitches swung at out of the zone (36.9%) while also posting a career-best 83.4% zone contact rate, reducing his swinging strike rate and spraying the ball to all fields with more consistency.
Tier Six
This seems to be where we put most of the non-Hamiltonian speed threats. Here you find Ben Revere, Kevin Pillar, Delino DeShields, Steven Souza, Billy Burns, Evan Gattis (hey, he had all of those triples right?), Ender Inciarte, Wil Myers, Ben Zobrist, Jayson Werth, Gerardo Parra, Khris Davis, Marcell Ozuna, and Melky Cabrera.
Revere, Pillar, DeShields, Burns, and Inciarte are the real speed types. Souza has aspirations of 25/20, but he can’t keep striking out a third of the time he’s at the dish. Gattis, Davis, and Ozuna are the power ponies, but Gattis in Houston is much more palatable than Davis in Oakland, while Ozuna needs to prove he can channel his strength after faltering last year and seeing his soft contact rate jump 3%.
Myers’ durability woes really push him down, but he still has potential for power/speed if he can stay on the field. Zobrist is an all-around guy who is now in a sweet Cubbies lineup. Werth’s 2015 is the epitome of “hitting a wall”, and while he could bounce back a bit it’ll be hard to count on much more than 15/8 with a decent average. Melky’s days of five category contributions are gone, but he still has double-digit pop, good contributions in runs/RBIs, and won’t kill your average (though look out for the cold streaks).
Tier Seven
This has the next layer of “one-category” players and young projects. You’ve got big bats like Mark Trumbo, Jay Bruce, Carlos Beltran, Colby Rasmus, and Brandon Moss. Trumbo gets to hit in Baltimore, Bruce looks to bounce-back with regression in his sails, Beltran can still swing in a great stadium but needs to stay healthy, Rasmus is good for hot streaks but his average can zap you, with Moss also fitting that bill. Then the fleet of foot with Cameron Maybin, Odubel Herrera, and Byron Buxton. Maybin probably platoons with Anthony Gose to open the year, but he is the better hitter. Herrera is the most valuable Phillie hitter after Maikel Franco with his speed and modest power. Buxton needs to take big steps forward with hitting major league level pitching, but his potential is through the roof.
Your all-around types here are Eddie Rosario, Aaron Altherr, Rusney Castillo, and Aaron Hicks. All could quietly also produce a 15/15 year, though 12/12 is more realistic, but that is worth remembering in deeper leagues. Altherr and Rosario need to show that they can make the adjustments with their second cup of coffee that Castillo failed to do last year. Aaron Hicks is probably the most exciting due to his move to Yankee Stadium and if an injury to one of the other Yankee OFs opens the door to regular playing time for Hicks, he could hit at a 18/18 pace.
Tier Eight
Now you're really starting to notice that you’re in deeper waters, but there’s still intrigue. Brad Miller, Danny Valencia, and Brock Holt are probably best utilized with their other position eligibilities. Denard Span could be a great bargain if other owners have written him off thanks to the injuries of last year, but if he hits around .300 with 25 steals atop the Giants’ lineup…yeah you’ll take that. Of course he could never stay healthy again too, hip and core procedures on a guy with his build/skillset are scary. Nori Aoki is about the same as Span, though he brings less inherent risk coupled with dampened speed upside.
Khris Davis being traded means Domingo Santana has an opening to grab the left field job. Santana’s approach reminds me a bit of Souza (albeit with less speed), Steamer has him hitting 19 homers while stealing six bases and hitting .249, but if he holds the full time LF job then he can improve on that. Plenty of ifs for a 23 year old who needs to grow, but the opportunity for a breakout is there under a few layers.
Marlon Byrd is 38, but has hit 23-25 homers in his past three seasons, so I imagine someone will find a roster spot for him and let that power come out to play one more time. Kevin Kiermaier probably deserves a little more love from me, and if he can give you a 10/16/.260 season as an OF5 or bench bat, well you’ll take that. Chris Colabello gets a lot of scrutiny for his otherworldly .411 BABIP last year (deservedly so, as that’s not happening again), and while he’ll be platooning again he’s still a decent hitter with some pop in a great park and lineup.
Tier Nine
Here is the rest of the pack. Let's pick out a few notable names. Baltimore’s Hyun-soo Kim brings a balanced bat over from Korea. Yasmany Tomas gets another chance to prove himself in Arizona’s good environment. Jackie Bradley Jr. has shown flashes, but the bottom always fell out. There are also some buzzy prospects in Adam Duvall, Rymer Liriano, and Nomar Mazara. Don't get too cute here, but for those of you swimming in the deep end, we haven't forgotten about you.
Outfield Tiered Fantasy Baseball Rankings (February)
Ranking | Tier | Name | Brad | Max | Kyle | Nick | Harris | Jeff | Bill |
1 | 1 | Mike Trout | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
2 | 1 | Bryce Harper | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
3 | 2 | Giancarlo Stanton | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
4 | 2 | Andrew McCutchen | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
5 | 2 | Jose Bautista | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
6 | 2 | George Springer | 6 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
7 | 2 | Mookie Betts | 5 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 10 |
8 | 2 | A.J. Pollock | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 6 |
9 | 2 | Starling Marte | 9 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 8 |
10 | 2 | Ryan Braun | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
11 | 3 | J.D. Martinez | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
12 | 3 | Justin Upton | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 14 |
13 | 3 | Charlie Blackmon | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 15 | 15 |
14 | 3 | Nelson Cruz | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 16 | 16 |
15 | 3 | Lorenzo Cain | 18 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 12 |
16 | 3 | Carlos Gomez | 14 | 13 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 14 | 19 |
17 | 3 | Kyle Schwarber | 16 | 15 | 16 | 21 | 17 | 24 | 17 |
18 | 3 | Carlos Gonzalez | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 18 |
19 | 3 | Adam Jones | 20 | 20 | 21 | 14 | 25 | 19 | 13 |
20 | 3 | Yoenis Cespedes | 23 | 21 | 20 | 17 | 12 | 20 | 20 |
21 | 3 | Jason Heyward | 17 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 25 | 21 |
22 | 4 | Yasiel Puig | 21 | 23 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 17 | 24 |
23 | 4 | Hunter Pence | 26 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 33 | 22 | 23 |
24 | 4 | Jacoby Ellsbury | 22 | 24 | 41 | 30 | 20 | 18 | 25 |
25 | 4 | Brett Gardner | 25 | 26 | 27 | 31 | 31 | 23 | 31 |
26 | 4 | Curtis Granderson | 30 | 33 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 32 | 26 |
27 | 4 | Alex Gordon | 24 | 31 | 29 | 33 | 28 | 37 | 29 |
28 | 4 | Kole Calhoun | 28 | 27 | 31 | 36 | 32 | 35 | 28 |
29 | 4 | David Peralta | 38 | 28 | 24 | 27 | 38 | 31 | 32 |
30 | 4 | Christian Yelich | 29 | 37 | 35 | 29 | 21 | 34 | 36 |
31 | 4 | Matt Holliday | 40 | 30 | 32 | 26 | 42 | 30 | 30 |
32 | 4 | Joc Pederson | 33 | 41 | 25 | 38 | 23 | 36 | 35 |
33 | 4 | Jorge Soler | 42 | 32 | 30 | 34 | 35 | 29 | 33 |
34 | 4 | Corey Dickerson | 36 | 29 | 33 | 24 | 37 | 54 | 22 |
35 | 4 | Adam Eaton | 35 | 40 | 26 | 25 | 47 | 28 | 39 |
36 | 4 | Billy Hamilton | 27 | 25 | 53 | 52 | 29 | 27 | 34 |
37 | 4 | Michael Brantley | 49 | 38 | 37 | 41 | 27 | 33 | 27 |
38 | 4 | Shin-Soo Choo | 37 | 35 | 38 | 32 | 30 | 41 | 40 |
39 | 5 | Michael Conforto | 31 | 34 | 40 | 48 | 36 | 39 | 42 |
40 | 5 | Gregory Polanco | 44 | 36 | 42 | 43 | 43 | 26 | 36 |
41 | 5 | Josh Reddick | 32 | 43 | 36 | 40 | 53 | 40 | 38 |
42 | 5 | Stephen Piscotty | 39 | 39 | 39 | 37 | 39 | 52 | 44 |
43 | 5 | Hanley Ramirez | 34 | 48 | 44 | 35 | 44 | 47 | 46 |
44 | 5 | Randal Grichuk | 43 | 44 | 34 | 39 | 54 | 45 | 45 |
45 | 5 | Dexter Fowler | 48 | 42 | 43 | 45 | 46 | 48 | 43 |
46 | 5 | Matt Kemp | 41 | 45 | 45 | 42 | 52 | 49 | 41 |
47 | 6 | Ben Revere | 55 | 51 | 56 | 55 | 41 | 44 | 48 |
48 | 6 | Kevin Pillar | 52 | 55 | 51 | 49 | 49 | 46 | 51 |
49 | 6 | Delino Deshields | 65 | 49 | 48 | 47 | 40 | 59 | 53 |
50 | 6 | Steven Souza | 56 | 56 | 46 | 46 | 45 | 53 | 61 |
51 | 6 | Billy Burns | 45 | 54 | 47 | 59 | 50 | 55 | 55 |
52 | 6 | Evan Gattis | 47 | 47 | 55 | 44 | 57 | 73 | 49 |
53 | 6 | Ender Inciarte | 59 | 46 | 54 | 56 | 61 | 51 | 47 |
54 | 6 | Wil Myers | 68 | 60 | 65 | 58 | 34 | 42 | 58 |
55 | 6 | Ben Zobrist | 54 | 52 | 58 | 57 | 55 | 63 | 50 |
56 | 6 | Jayson Werth | 50 | 61 | 49 | 68 | 67 | 43 | 52 |
57 | 6 | Gerardo Parra | 46 | 50 | 57 | 54 | 56 | 71 | 60 |
58 | 6 | Khris Davis | 63 | 62 | 52 | 53 | 58 | 50 | 62 |
59 | 6 | Marcell Ozuna | 67 | 57 | 50 | 61 | 65 | 57 | 57 |
60 | 6 | Melky Cabrera | 57 | 53 | 59 | 62 | 69 | 62 | 54 |
61 | 7 | Cameron Maybin | 70 | 59 | 62 | 60 | 72 | 60 | 59 |
62 | 7 | Mark Trumbo | 78 | 78 | 69 | 50 | 59 | 38 | 74 |
63 | 7 | Jay Bruce | 64 | 70 | 68 | 51 | 64 | 65 | 69 |
64 | 7 | Carlos Beltran | 62 | 67 | 63 | 64 | 76 | 58 | 66 |
65 | 7 | Eddie Rosario | 60 | 64 | 67 | 72 | 68 | 67 | 67 |
66 | 7 | Odubel Herrera | 58 | 66 | 60 | 74 | 86 | 66 | 56 |
67 | 7 | Aaron Altherr | 61 | 63 | 61 | 63 | 88 | 68 | 65 |
68 | 7 | Colby Rasmus | 71 | 75 | 66 | 65 | 51 | 70 | 72 |
69 | 7 | Rusney Castillo | 69 | 58 | 64 | 69 | 89 | 56 | 68 |
70 | 7 | Brandon Moss | 51 | 71 | 74 | 67 | 74 | 74 | 64 |
71 | 7 | Byron Buxton | 75 | 76 | 72 | 79 | 48 | 61 | 70 |
72 | 7 | Aaron Hicks | 77 | 68 | 70 | 66 | 78 | 69 | 63 |
73 | 8 | Brad Miller | 66 | 69 | 71 | 78 | 71 | 72 | 76 |
74 | 8 | Denard Span | 74 | 73 | 86 | 77 | 60 | 64 | 71 |
75 | 8 | Danny Valencia | 53 | 65 | 79 | 75 | 80 | 81 | 73 |
76 | 8 | Nori Aoki | 73 | 72 | 80 | 80 | 62 | 75 | 88 |
77 | 8 | Domingo Santana | 81 | 77 | 77 | 70 | 66 | 76 | 87 |
78 | 8 | Marlon Byrd | 80 | 79 | 73 | 76 | 84 | 80 | 75 |
79 | 8 | Kevin Kiermaier | 83 | 84 | 75 | 85 | 73 | 73 | 80 |
80 | 8 | Chris Colabello | 93 | 82 | 84 | 73 | 75 | 90 | 86 |
81 | 8 | Brock Holt | 79 | 83 | 81 | 83 | 94 | 91 | 79 |
82 | 9 | Hyun-soo Kim | 76 | 92 | 98 | 71 | - | 85 | |
83 | 9 | Derek Dietrich | 82 | 96 | 76 | 84 | - | 88 | 81 |
84 | 9 | Yasmany Tomas | 97 | 74 | 96 | 86 | 81 | 78 | 82 |
85 | 9 | Austin Jackson | 72 | 95 | 88 | 82 | 91 | 87 | - |
86 | 9 | Jackie Bradley Jr. | 96 | 97 | 83 | 87 | 77 | 77 | 90 |
87 | 9 | Eduardo Escobar | - | 88 | 89 | 88 | - | 84 | 89 |
88 | 9 | Dalton Pompey | 86 | 80 | 78 | 98 | 87 | 97 | - |
89 | 9 | Nick Markakis | 87 | 91 | 93 | 92 | 79 | - | |
90 | 9 | Leonys Martin | 94 | 93 | 95 | 93 | 63 | 93 | - |
91 | 9 | Andre Ethier | 85 | 87 | 87 | 90 | 99 | 83 | - |
92 | 9 | Avisail Garcia | - | 85 | - | 99 | 82 | - | - |
93 | 9 | Mark Canha | 98 | 89 | 82 | 109 | 83 | 86 | 78 |
94 | 9 | Franklin Gutierrez | 95 | 100 | 90 | 81 | - | 79 | 91 |
95 | 9 | Anthony Gose | - | 102 | 85 | 100 | 93 | 82 | 77 |
96 | 9 | Jarrod Dyson | 106 | 81 | 94 | 97 | 70 | 94 | - |
97 | 9 | Alex Rios | 88 | 90 | 99 | 94 | 96 | - | 84 |
98 | 9 | Desmond Jennings | 99 | 86 | - | 96 | 90 | 92 | - |
99 | 9 | Josh Hamilton | 91 | 94 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 89 | - |
100 | 9 | Preston Tucker | 107 | 99 | 91 | 89 | - | 83 | |
101 | 9 | Chris Coghlan | 84 | 103 | 100 | 91 | - | - | |
102 | 9 | Adam Duvall | 90 | 104 | - | 103 | 85 | 99 | - |
103 | 9 | Michael Taylor | 89 | 102 | 92 | 102 | 95 | 98 | - |
104 | 9 | Oswaldo Arcia | - | 105 | - | 104 | 100 | 96 | 85 |
105 | 9 | Coco Crisp | 92 | 106 | - | 101 | 98 | 95 | - |
106 | 9 | Angel Pagan | 102 | 99 | - | 107 | - | - | - |
107 | 9 | Rymer Liriano | 105 | 101 | - | 105 | - | 100 | - |
108 | 9 | Seth Smith | 101 | 107 | - | - | - | - | - |
109 | 9 | Rajai Davis | 100 | - | - | 108 | - | - | - |
110 | 9 | Abraham Almonte | 104 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
111 | 9 | Nomar Mazara | 103 | - | - | 106 | - | - | - |
112 | 9 | Will Venable | - | 108 | - | 110 | 97 | - | - |
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