Fantasy Ranking - OF
Down to the wire- with most of your fantasy drafts quickly approaching, we're going to rifle off all of the remaining position rankings over the next week. Today, we're looking at OF. For this position, we're going to give you 20 names and 8 sleepers to accomodate a position that typically requires at least 3 OF and probably one or two bench spots. It's a deep position and it's a position where you'll find a lot of guys with different tools. For that reason, strategy almost undoubtedly comes into play and mock drafts and ADP reports are all over the place. What you do in later rounds will likely be determined by the outcome in early rounds so although we could list more than 28, we're not going to. Without further adieu...
First two rounds:
1. Ryan Braun - solid as a rock; career triple slash .307/.364/.554 to go along with 15 SB.
2. Carlos Gonzalez - ceiling couldn't be higher. A full season could produce monster numbers.
3. Josh Hamilton - reigning AL MVP. Gaudy numbers in 2010 despite missing time.
4. Carl Crawford - career averages: 54 sb, 100 R, 78 RBI. The table-setter for a monster Bo-Sox lineup.
5. Matt Holliday - when you're protecting Prince Albert, you're going to get plenty of opportunities.
6. Shin Soo Choo - it's no longer a secret, Choo is a top 10 fantasy outfielder. Career triple slash .297/.391/.488 and 18 SB.
7. Matt Kemp - 2010 was a down year in most categories for Kemp, especially SB (caught 15 times). Kemp did manage to increase his power numbers and the allure is still there. With Davey Lopes in his ear, Kemp could rebound and post 30+ SB. Does the average rebound, too?
Third, Fourth and Fifth Rounds:
8. Ichiro Suzuki - the 36 year old has 10 all star appearances in 10 seasons and has +200 hits in each of them. In 2010, a year after posting his lowest SB total since entering the majors (26 in 2009), Ichiro swiped 42 bags, 5th best in the AL.
9. Justin Upton - the tools are evident. If he can put it together for an entire season, he's a bargain here.
10. Nelson Cruz - could provide tremendous value here but hasn't put it together for an entire season yet.
11. Andrew McCutchen - the young sparkplug might be the most exciting player in baseball. He plays the game the right way and has some nice talent coming up around him... until they're all traded.
12. BJ Upton - steals and runs, guaranteed but power lite and average inconsistent, at best.
13. Andre Ethier - MVP caliber first half, injury plagued unproductive second half. 'Dre could provide value here.
14. Jayson Werth - the expectations couldn't be higher (as evidenced by the monster contract Jayson signed with the Nats). Nationals Park will sap some power but the culture could prove to be a tough hurdle for the uber competitive Werth, as the Nats are clearly building for the future.
15. Alex Rios - Rios posted a very attractive line in 2010. Decent fantasy option in the middle rounds.
Anyone's guess:
16. Hunter Pence - How does this sound; .284 16 SB, 90 RBI, 87R. 26 HR? Those are the Bill James' projections for Pence.
17. Jayson Heyward - you know he's going to hit for average, score runs and drive in some runs. He's got the frame to hit a lot of home runs and if that happens, Heyward will look like a steal here.
18. Curtis Granderson - finds a way to fill a stat sheet. It will be interesting to see what he'll do with a full season in NY.
19. Torii Hunter - at 36, Hunter's upside might be limited but he has made a career out of being dependable.
20. Jay Bruce - Bruce had a nice rebound year in 2010 and has the potential to put up serious power numbers.
Sleepers:
Delmon Young - great 2010 has a lot of people buzzing about Delmon Young
Austin Jackson - Jackson had a nice rookie campaign. Has the tools to amass +200 hits and steal a lot of bases.
Nick Swisher - was last year a fluke or has something really clicked for Swisher?
Shane Victorino - an important cog in the Phillies lineup, Victorino will score a lot of runs, steal a lot of bases and might run into 20 HR.
Manny Ramirez - New home, old battering mates and divisional foes; Manny could surprise some nay sayers.
Michael Stanton - it's hard not to notice Stanton; he's built like a Mack truck and hits Ruthian blasts.
Brett Gardner - here's some trivia, who is the only player in baseball to have a +.380 OBP and swipe +25 bases in 2010? Brett Gardner, of course.
Corey Hart - had a really nice 2010. Not sure if he's got those numbers in him again but he could.
First two rounds:
1. Ryan Braun - solid as a rock; career triple slash .307/.364/.554 to go along with 15 SB.
2. Carlos Gonzalez - ceiling couldn't be higher. A full season could produce monster numbers.
3. Josh Hamilton - reigning AL MVP. Gaudy numbers in 2010 despite missing time.
4. Carl Crawford - career averages: 54 sb, 100 R, 78 RBI. The table-setter for a monster Bo-Sox lineup.
5. Matt Holliday - when you're protecting Prince Albert, you're going to get plenty of opportunities.
6. Shin Soo Choo - it's no longer a secret, Choo is a top 10 fantasy outfielder. Career triple slash .297/.391/.488 and 18 SB.
7. Matt Kemp - 2010 was a down year in most categories for Kemp, especially SB (caught 15 times). Kemp did manage to increase his power numbers and the allure is still there. With Davey Lopes in his ear, Kemp could rebound and post 30+ SB. Does the average rebound, too?
Third, Fourth and Fifth Rounds:
8. Ichiro Suzuki - the 36 year old has 10 all star appearances in 10 seasons and has +200 hits in each of them. In 2010, a year after posting his lowest SB total since entering the majors (26 in 2009), Ichiro swiped 42 bags, 5th best in the AL.
9. Justin Upton - the tools are evident. If he can put it together for an entire season, he's a bargain here.
10. Nelson Cruz - could provide tremendous value here but hasn't put it together for an entire season yet.
11. Andrew McCutchen - the young sparkplug might be the most exciting player in baseball. He plays the game the right way and has some nice talent coming up around him... until they're all traded.
12. BJ Upton - steals and runs, guaranteed but power lite and average inconsistent, at best.
13. Andre Ethier - MVP caliber first half, injury plagued unproductive second half. 'Dre could provide value here.
14. Jayson Werth - the expectations couldn't be higher (as evidenced by the monster contract Jayson signed with the Nats). Nationals Park will sap some power but the culture could prove to be a tough hurdle for the uber competitive Werth, as the Nats are clearly building for the future.
15. Alex Rios - Rios posted a very attractive line in 2010. Decent fantasy option in the middle rounds.
Anyone's guess:
16. Hunter Pence - How does this sound; .284 16 SB, 90 RBI, 87R. 26 HR? Those are the Bill James' projections for Pence.
17. Jayson Heyward - you know he's going to hit for average, score runs and drive in some runs. He's got the frame to hit a lot of home runs and if that happens, Heyward will look like a steal here.
18. Curtis Granderson - finds a way to fill a stat sheet. It will be interesting to see what he'll do with a full season in NY.
19. Torii Hunter - at 36, Hunter's upside might be limited but he has made a career out of being dependable.
20. Jay Bruce - Bruce had a nice rebound year in 2010 and has the potential to put up serious power numbers.
Sleepers:
Delmon Young - great 2010 has a lot of people buzzing about Delmon Young
Austin Jackson - Jackson had a nice rookie campaign. Has the tools to amass +200 hits and steal a lot of bases.
Nick Swisher - was last year a fluke or has something really clicked for Swisher?
Shane Victorino - an important cog in the Phillies lineup, Victorino will score a lot of runs, steal a lot of bases and might run into 20 HR.
Manny Ramirez - New home, old battering mates and divisional foes; Manny could surprise some nay sayers.
Michael Stanton - it's hard not to notice Stanton; he's built like a Mack truck and hits Ruthian blasts.
Brett Gardner - here's some trivia, who is the only player in baseball to have a +.380 OBP and swipe +25 bases in 2010? Brett Gardner, of course.
Corey Hart - had a really nice 2010. Not sure if he's got those numbers in him again but he could.
0 comments: