2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Outfield

In our sixth rankings series of the year, we’ll look at outfielders:

2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Legalese, etc.

Each of these rankings will follow the same format. We’ll review the top performers at the position in 2014 and 2013, then reveal rankings based on a tier system. We’ll discuss the position in general and the trends of the position. Lastly, I’ll discuss where the Braves player at the position would rank. To qualify at a position, a player must have 15 games played at the position in 2014. I’ll mention any other positions a player will qualify for as well.

Top Fantasy Outfielders 2014/2013

2014 top 30 (in order): Mike Trout, Michael Brantley, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Gomez, Andrew McCutchen, Jose Bautista, Nelson Cruz, Charlie Blackmon, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ben Revere, Adam Jones, Billy Hamilton, Hunter Pence, Justin Upton, Denard Span, Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte, Matt Kemp, Josh Harrison, Yasiel Puig, Jayson Werth, Rajai Davis, Yoenis Cespedes, Melky Cabrera, Christian Yelich, Alex Gordon, Matt Holliday, Lorenzo Cain, Brett Gardner
2013 top 30 (in order): Mike Trout, Chris Davis, Andrew McCutchen, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Gomez, Adam Jones, Alex Rios, Hunter Pence, Jayson Werth, Alfonso Soriano, Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Matt Carpenter, Shin-Soo Choo, Starling Marte, Jay Bruce, Shane Victorino, Coco Crisp, Torii Hunter, Carlos Beltran, Marlon Byrd, Allen Craig, Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Domonic Brown, Alejandro De Aza, Will Venable, Mark Trumbo, Yasiel Puig

2015 Outfield: Tier One

Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels – Top fantasy player overall, not just outfielders. ‘Nuf said.
Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh – He’s been a fantasy stud for a few years running and is in his prime.
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami – Has had some health issues, but when he’s on the field, there’s no one in the game with more power.
Carlos Gomez, Milwaukee – Reached the elite status with his solid average and power/speed combination and doing it multiple years in a row.

2015 Outfield: Tier Two

Jose Bautista, Toronto – Only outfield this year, but possibly going to gain 1B eligibility as well.  Health is the only question with him.
Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers – I’m higher than most on him, but I think getting him out of center field will help at the plate.
Adam Jones, Baltimore – Often not considered among the elite, but ends up there each season.
Jacoby Ellsbury, New York Yankees – I’ll admit a bias against Ellsbury since owning him in many leagues the year after his monster 2011 season.  Still elite, and likely belongs in the first tier.
Justin Upton, San Diego – Very good production last season in Atlanta.  New park may suppress numbers, so this may be a bit aggressive in ranking.
Michael Brantley, Cleveland – Career year last year, but he did nothing completely unsustainable.  I will be curious how his 2015 follows.
Bryce Harper, Washington – This is the last year I’ll be giving him benefit of the doubt in this class.  He’ll be dropping in 2016 rankings if he can’t finally turn some of that talent into production.
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee – Would have had a chance at a 25/20 season if fully healthy.  Not quite the player he was pre-suspension, but still quite valuable.
Hunter Pence, San Francisco – Honestly annoys me on the field, but he puts up solid stats each season.
Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado – Huge injury risk, but reportedly healthy going into the spring for the first time in a few years.
Matt Holliday, St. Louis – Consistent good average, 20+ home runs, and 90+ RBI.

2015 Outfied: Tier Three

Corey Dickerson, Colorado – Fellow Rockie Blackmon had the better total season, but his was a lot of streaks.  Dickerson forced his way into the lineup with solid production all season.
Jason Heyward, St. Louis – He’s where Harper will be in 2016.  Still talented, but enough years not producing to that talent has dropped him this far.
Starling Marte, Pittsburgh – Lower in an OBP league, but solid power with very good speed.
Christian Yelich, Miami – My pick to absolutely rocket up lists for 2016.  He’s legit with the bat and speed, and there’s power there that will come.
George Springer, Houston – Upside pick here with the ridiculous power he has.  Similar to teammate Chris Carter, but a much better athlete on the field.
Matt Kemp, San Diego – Produced very well once healthy.  Not the superstar he was 2-3 years ago, but he’s going to have a full-time job and chance to produce.
Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati – Last season saw how his elite speed could change a fantasy team.  Now comes the next step in getting on base at a high clip.

2015 Outfield: Tier Four

Nelson Cruz, Seattle – Big power goes to an environment not typically conducive to power.  This could be interesting to watch.
Brett Gardner, New York Yankees – Season of streaks in 2014 ended early.  Could be more like a bottom tier-five guy or a top end tier-three guy, so I compromised here.
Jay Bruce, Cincinnati – Poor season in 2014 largely affected by health.  Reportedly healthy going into 2015, but watch reports out of spring.
Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels – Won’t lead the league in home runs or steal 30 bases, but good contributions across the 5 categories.
Shin-Soo Choo, Texas – One of the many in Texas who were injured and/or underperformed in 2014.  OBP skills are still there in what should be a much better lineup.
Marcell Ozuna, Miami – Legit CF defender with good power.  Think a young Torii Hunter in value.
Alex Gordon, Kansas City – Never rated highly because his upside simply isn’t that high, but he is so consistent that he tends to end up ranked well at the end of the year.
Yoenis Cespedes, Detroit – Now on his third team in 2 seasons.  Not a great sign, and Comerica Park is known for reducing home runs.  Be cautious about overspending here.
Wil Myers, San Diego – Lots of hype coming into the league in 2013, and he’s been given up on by one of the organizations who most covets young talent, which says something.
Mark Trumbo, Arizona – Also eligible at 1B. Never going to give you good BA, but when healthy, he has very good power.

2015 Outfield: Tier Five

Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh – Elite prospect coming into 2014, but didn’t quite produce like many thought right away.  Going to still be some growing pains, but could pass teammate Marte in fantasy value very soon.
Leonys Martin, Texas – Martin is a guy I love watching, so I probably overrank him, but he is a guy who will give you some power and very good speed.
J.D. Martinez, Detroit – 2014 breakout season wasn’t completely out of nowhere, but most saw a 20/20 guy, not the power he put up last season.  A repeat season in 2015 would rocket him up this list.
Alex Rios, Kansas City – Always has had odd every-other-year stats, but short contract could bring out the best in Rios, who could give 15-20 home runs and up to 40ish steals if he’s right.
Mookie Betts, Boston – Just missed qualifying at 2B, so he’s only an outfielder in most leagues.  Hard to imagine he won’t have a job in Boston, but hard to see where currently in a very full outfield.
Jayson Werth, Washington – Was a tier three guy before injury.  Keep your eye on how his injury heals and draft accordingly.
Jorge Soler, Chicago Cubs – Still a rookie, but you’ll need to pick him at least this high to get him with the hype he’s getting right now.  I’d honestly stay away in 2015 in a re-draft league.
Melky Cabrera, Chicago White Sox – Good ballpark, as was Toronto last season.  Health is the biggest question for him.
Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City – Made a big leap in 2014 offensively, which could be a peak year or establishing a new level.  If he repeats, he’ll jump up some for 2016 lists.
Rusney Castillo, Boston – I know he’s a rookie, but I’ll likely be going after Castillo before many in this tier because of his skillset.  The biggest issue is how the playing time will work.
A.J. Pollock, Arizona – Late bloomer, but he’s a guy who could give you good average, 10-15 homer power, and 20-30 steal speed.

2015 Outfield: Braves Fantasy Review

The 2015 outfield was drastically shaken up when 3 potential outfielders were traded in Jason Heyward, Justin Upton, and Evan Gattis.  The Braves recently signed Jonny Gomes to likely work as a platoon partner in left field.  His platoon partner could come from a group of guys, but the most likely is Zoilo Almonte, acquired this offseason.  B.J. Upton returns as the only returning starter, and I have him ranked as #74 among all outfielders.  Offseason signing Nick Markakis is my highest ranked Braves outfielder at #52.  The outfield is the area where we could see a number of guys turn in seasons that make them fantasy worthy.  The list to watch with the Braves includes Almonte, Todd Cunningham, Joey Terdoslavich, Dian Toscano, and even possibly Cedric Hunter or Joe Benson.

2015 Outfield: Position Review

Here is your elite offensive position.  It would not be uncommon for 4-6 outfielders to go in the first round of drafts this year, and right now, that is where the best fantasy depth is.  That said, in leagues where you utilize 5 outfield positions, you need to realize that you’ll need to be aware of 50+ outfielders rather than 10-20 at each other position.  There will be some very fun young players to watch this year in Soler, Betts, Castillo, Yasmani Tomas, Steven Souza, Oswaldo Arcia, and Joc Pederson among many others.