2018 Dynasty Baseball RankingsDynasty BaseballUncategorized

The Dynasty Guru’s Top 125 Outfielders, #71-90

It’s been a slow off-season. Like, a really slow off-season. With the hot stove frigid, fantasy baseball players haven’t had many ways to quench their thirst, unless they’ve thrown themselves head-first into football, basketball, or hockey. January and February can be some of the darkest months of the year (figuratively and literally), but fear not, restless readers. The Dynasty Guru is here to the rescue.

While you were celebrating the holidays and ushering in the New Year, our brave group of writers has been ranking, debating, re-ranking, re-debating, and re-re-ranking over 600 players for dynasty leagues. The fruits of our efforts will be filling January, February, and even some of March with the deepest, most thoroughly and painstakingly selected dynasty baseball rankings on the internet. We have top-50s, top-125s, top-200s, top-500s (of course!), and even ultra-deep prospect rankings.

The Dynasty Guru’s hard-working staff has spent countless hours crafting these rankings, and we hope you enjoy and continue to support our efforts.

So I hope you enjoy the package that the TDG team has put together here. If you like it enough, and just can’t seem to wait for us to roll out the rest of our content, you can donate a minimum of $10 to receive exclusive early access to the entirety of our ultra-deep dynasty rankings. That includes Bret Sayre’s Top 500 for standard leagues, Tom Trudeau’s Top 500 for OBP leagues, Jesse Roche’s Top 200 prospects, and our entire rankings series in downloadable form. For more information, click here.

Without further ado, it’s time to continue our 2018 consensus rankings by looking at the league’s 21-40 outfielders in dynasty leagues, kicking it off with a player primed to shoot up this list next year.


71) Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (Age: 20, Previous Rank: NR)

It’s hard to imagine that the 6’5, 225-pound man-child that is 2015 J2-signee Yordan Alavarez isn’t even allowed to buy a beer yet. Absent from the the 2017 version of this list, Alvarez has a chance to vault up the 2018 version thanks to his 65-grade raw power and potential-55 hit tool. The bad news with Alvarez is that he’s still filling out, which means a move to first base is in his future. The good news is that as he fills out he should gain more power with which to mash mammoth taters over the fence. Risk abound, but if he isn’t owned in your league, make it so! (Jake Devereaux)

72) Austin Meadows, Pittsburgh Pirates (Age: 22, Previous Rank: 28)

There is a very good chance that you have missed your window to sell high on Austin Meadows. He went from a ranking that only a Gronk could love of 69 (nice) in 2016 to a helium ranking of 28 last year. Somehow, as he is finally on the cusp on making the big leagues, he finds himself at 72 and blocked by Daniel Nava. What gives? Well, there is not a single loud tool in his arsenal that matters from a fantasy perspective. Meadows will be lucky if he is even ranked in a year’s time if that doesn’t change. Not eclipsing 12 home runs in any minor-league season isn’t a good look. (Jake Devereaux)

73) Anthony Alford, Toronto Blue Jays (Age: 23, Previous Rank: 71)

I really like Anthony Alford, and you should too. After devoting his athletic life solely to baseball we have begun to see glimpses of a super-athletic center fielder with plus skills at the plate. Alford is still very raw, but if you squint hard enough you can see a 20-25 home run bat with 20 stolen bases—all while posting very strong on-base percentages. If anyone is down on him in your league I would go all in, as this guy is a sure thing major league regular to me. (Jake Devereaux)

74) Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels (Age: 18, Previous Rank: NR)

This dude is an Athlete, with a Capital “A.” My goodness, I would be buying shares of Jo Adell up like I’d be buying shares of a certain fruit-themed tech company in 1997. Sure, there is volatility here, but if it all clicks you are talking about a first-round fantasy pick. You could say Adell is the iMac of center field prospects, and that worked out okay for Steve Jobs. (Jake Devereaux)

75) Hunter Renfroe, San Diego Padres (Age: 26, Previous Rank: 79)

It only took 122 games last season, but Renfroe officially hit the most low-key 26 home runs of all-time. Official in that precisely no one cared or noticed, because it was tied to a silly RBI total of just 58. You know what: I’m stopping here because I don’t even care. If you’re into this kind of thing cool, I’m sure you can get him in your league. (Jake Devereaux)

76) Stephen Piscotty, Oakland Athletics (Age: 27, Previous Rank: 25)

Piscotty has just completed his best impression of that one level of Mortal Kombat for Sega Genesis where it’s that level with the bridge and if you uppercutted the guy during the “FINISH HIM” he would fall down into a pit of spikes. Piscotty got uppercutted into a pit of spikes, but he’s not finished yet. There is still a ton to like here, especially in OBP leagues. If I were a betting man, he gets back to closer to where he was last year before it’s all said and done. (Jake Devereaux)

77) Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers (Age: 25, Previous Rank: 37)

He lost his job, lost in the playoffs, and lost his previously sky-high ranking on this list.  Things could have gone much better for Pederson last year. Luckily for him, he played in the playoffs and so all that we remember from his season is his clutch home run off Justin Verlander in the World Series. He ran around the bases like a mad man screaming, “You like that?!”You know what? I did like that, Joc Pederson. It is likely that Pederson will get everyday playing time in left field next year, and I’d expect at least 20 bombs and a good OBP. He is probably too low on this list. (Jake Devereaux)

78) Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox (Age: 27, Previous Rank: 33)

As a Red Sox fan I can tell you that JBJ is about as frustrating a player to watch take an at-bat as there is to watch. For stretches of time he actually looks like Mike Trout, and for longer stretches of time he looks like he should be in Double-A. In the field though, he is always a joy. I do believe that what we saw from JBJ in 2016 is much more indicative of the type of player he is, and I expect him to vault up this list next year. If he could ever even out his hot and cold spells he would be a much more attractive head-to-head play. (Jake Devereaux)

79) Michael A. Taylor, Washington Nationals (Age: 26, Previous Rank: NR)

Want to know what is more fun than owning Taylor in a dynasty league? Watching him actually play baseball. If you like fielding, and I do, maybe only a few players do it better, and one of them directly precedes him on this list. After losing Jayson Werth in the off-season, it looks like Adam Eaton will switch to left field and Taylor will get the everyday gig in center field. Taylor should contribute well in runs, home runs, and stolen bases and prove a valuable fantasy asset. Could be a climber. (Jake Devereaux)

80) Raimel Tapia, Colorado Rockies (Age: 24, Previous Rank: 54)

Stan Lee used to have a TV show called “Superhumans” on the History Chanel. This show was ridiculous, but if you watch this clip, Tapia is pretty much the samurai pictured in the second clip. Yes, he just knocked down a BB with a sword. Tapia has a similar Vladimir Guerrero-esque ability to barrel up everything. But do his freakish abilities translate to fantasy? Well, without power, speed, or opportunity to improve them. it all might not matter. (Jake Devereaux)

81) Dexter Fowler, St. Louis Cardinals (Age: 32, Previous Rank: 43)

Fowler is awesome. In fact, one of the only knocks on him is that he will be entering his age 32 season this year. Slated to hit at the top of an improved Cardinals lineup, Fowler could challenge for 100 runs while adding solid HR/SB totals and a near elite OBP. If you need a run producer for a deep playoff run—target Fowler. (Jake Devereaux)

82) Brett Gardner, New York Yankees (Age: 34, Previous Rank: 75)

The Yankees seem to shop Gardner every season and all he does in response is put his head down and produce. It’s fair to say Gardner has had a very successful career in the big leagues. Would it then surprise you to know that last year was his first 20/20 season? At age 33, no less! It surprised the hell out of me. Because we hate old people, he finds himself ranking lower than he did last off-season. Invest with caution, but invest nonetheless. (Jake Devereaux)

83) Jake Bauers, Tampa Bay Rays (Age: 22, Previous Rank: NR)

Jake Bauers recently ranked number 43 on Fangraphs list of their top 100 prospects for 2018. This high ranking put him one spot above Yordan Alvarez and it is feasible that he could get meaningful playing time as soon as next year. The biggest reasons to like Bauers have to do with his solid ability and lack of volatility. We know Bauers can hit and field well enough to stay in the outfield. No, he won’t be spectacular, but it’s likely he remains solid for years to come. (Jake Devereaux)

84) Aaron Altherr, Philadelphia Phillies (Age: 27, Previous Rank: 95)

With Rhys Hoskins, Odubel Herrera, and Nick Williams likely taking up outfield spots it might take a trade to get Altherr in the field full time next season. If he can land an everyday job and stay healthy, Altherr represents a real bargain down this low. He made some big strides by cutting his strikeout rate, while still showing off his power by clubbing 19 home runs (in just 107 games) last year. Power is cheap these days, but Altherr could be an OF 3 if everything clicks right for him. (Jake Devereaux)

85) Derek Fisher, Houston Astros (Age: 24, Previous Rank: 103)

The man has skills! The man lacks opportunity. The man has a World Series Champs ring! The man lacks good fashion sense. Pros and cons. Barring injury or severe regression to Josh Reddick or Marwin Gonzalez, we are not likely to see meaningful playing time for Fisher. If that playing time does come around, you could see a 15/15 guy with low batting averages. Look, he is never going to be super exciting, but you could do a lot worse as a fourth outfielder. (Jake Devereaux)

86) Shin-Soo Choo, Texas Rangers (Age: 35, Previous Rank: 69)

At 35 this is another dynasty zombie who continues to be useful. Contending teams would be unwise to pass up what Choo can offer. Last year a fully-healthy Choo leapt back into fantasy relevance with 22 HRs, 96 RBIs and 12 SBs. Those sweet counting stats came with a .261/357/.433 triple-slash line. There’s no doubt that we are unlikely to have anymore of a dead-cat bounce from our old friend, but it’s quite possible that he can repeat the previous year. Double digit homers and steals, and strong ratios in both average and on-base? Don’t count on him for the long haul, but if you’re competing this year… CHOOse wisely. (Patrick Magnus)

87) Jesus Sanchez, Tampa Bay Rays (Age: 20, Previous Rank: NA)

This young outfielder is very likely to rank much higher on our list next year. This prospect is young and full of tools and potential. This writer sold most of his shares in fear of a bad strikeout rate. Welp, turns out patience is truly a virtue, because Sanchez adjusted and brought his whiff rate to a respectable 17.8%, and his walk-rate to 6.3%. He managed to knock 15 balls out of the park, and paired that with seven steals. There’s 20-20 potential here, and a strong performance in 2018 will raise expectations even higher. (Patrick Magnus)

88. Dustin Fowler, Oakland Athletics (Age: 23, Previous Rank: NA)

Another young face that may end up higher up on our list next year, Fowler got his first taste of the show last year at Yankee Stadium. The rising star had exactly one game played with zero plate appearances before winding up on the shelf due to a tragic and awful knee injury sustained by running into a wall. A top one-hundred prospect coming into last year, it was a major disappointment that he didn’t get the chance to play last year. Fowler broke out in 2015 after struggling quite a bit in the low minors. His approach is aggressive and his walk rates have been below 6% consistently. However, he’s also consistently hit the ball in the air, even if it is mostly to the pull side. His batting average will be all about the contact he can make at the major league level, but I believe he has the potential for 15 homers and 20 steals. (Patrick Magnus)

89. Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians (Age: 30, Previous Rank: 26)

Similar to Choo, I think Brantley may offer sneaky value for contenders in 2018. This veteran outfield has struggled to stay healthy since his 20 homer /20 stolen base season in 2014. Brantley spent the majority of 2016 rehabbing a shoulder injury, which not an area of injury we ever like to hear about. He was then troubled with a right ankle sprain in 2017 (at least it was a less serious injury). Brantley is probably dirt cheap right now, and will turn 31 this season. Caution is warranted with the injury-plagued outfielder, but consider the cost for a couple more seasons of double-digit home runs and steals. (Patrick Magnus)

90. Carlos Gonzalez, Free Agent (Age: 32, Previous Rank: 15)

Consider Gonzalez just a step below Brantley. He had a significant run as a fantasy all-star, but that appear to have come to an end. Cargo is only two seasons removed from a 40 homer season with a .271/.325/.540 slash line to accompany them. He now joins the company of many free-agents who have not signed, and with the Rockies rich in outfield depth, it’s unlikely he heads back to the offensive-friendly Coors Field. The small amount of hope for Cargo would be the adjustments he made in the second half of last year. If he can carry the increase in launch angle and exit velocity that he made he may retain some of his offensive value. However, he’s probably something more like 15-20 home runs, and a .260 average, which is useful in some leagues. (Patrick Magnus)

 

 

The Author

Ben Diamond

Ben Diamond

Ben is an annoyingly enthusiastic fantasy baseball player and Yankees fan, and he writes about those passions at Baseball Prospectus and The Dynasty Guru. There's a 95% chance he's ranting about Michael Pineda right now.

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