At the Dynasty Guru we continue highlighting our top players at every position, moving from Shortstop last week to Outfield this week.  If you value our work here, please consider donating to help the cause!

1. Juan Soto, Washington Nationals (Age: 23, Previous Rank: 1)

Elite. That is the only way to describe Juan Soto’s 2021 season. From start to finish, Soto did everything at an elite level. His ludicrous .430 xwOBA was tied with Bryce Harper and led all of baseball. The craziest part about his season is that Soto got better after ending 2020 as OF #1. His max exit velocity increased from 113 MPH to 116 MPH. His average exit velocity increased to 93 MPH. His plate skills reached their best, 22% BB% and 14.2% K%. The hit tool outpaces the rest of the league by a wide margin, and at only 23 years old, you have to wonder if he’s yet to reach his peak. We could be looking at his 2021 numbers (.313/.465/.534, 29/111/95) as a baseline for him. (Colin Coulahan)

2. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves (Age: 24, Previous Rank: 2)

If Ronald Acuña Jr. hadn’t torn his ACL 82 games into the season, he could have been OF #1 on this list. He was having the best year of his career until the injury, and we’ll always be left wondering how he would have finished. Like Soto, Acuña produced at an elite level, reaching career bests in some categories. His 117.9 MPH exit velocity was the best it’s been and was his 93.8 MPH average exit velocity. Acuña even cut his K% to 23.6%. His slash line after half of a season was .283/.394/.596, 24/72/52, and 17 stolen bases. There was a real chance at a 40/40 season for Acuña. He may miss some time at the beginning of 2022 as he recovers from the injury, and you can’t help but worry how much runs when he comes back. But that doesn’t hurt his overall dynasty value. He still has a case for being a top overall pick. (Colin Coulahan)

3. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (Age: 30, Previous Rank: 3)

A calf injury sunk Trout’s 2021 season, limiting him to only 36 games. He was as elite as ever in the limited action – 1.090 OPS, .423 xwOBA, and eight home runs. He’s entering his age 30 season, so there may be some concerns about what to expect from Trout. He’s only stolen 14 bases since 2019, and last year’s lower-body injury probably means his best stole base numbers are behind him. His K% jumped to 28%, and his Whiff% increased to 27.5%, both career worsts. These numbers may be concerning, but I’m willing to bet it’s due to the small sample size. Trout is a generational talent, and his bat should still be an elite for the next several years. (Colin Coulahan)

4. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies (Age: 29, Previous Rank: 7)

MVP! MVP! Practically all of Harper’s offensive numbers were in the 90th percentile. His .430 xwOBA was the best in baseball (tied with Juan Soto). His 18.1% barrel rate was his career-best and matched his career-high average exit velocity, 92.5 MPH. If you want to nit-pick any of his numbers, the 31.9% Whiff% is near the bottom league. But Harper has always had very high whiff rates his entire career and was able to keep the strikeouts in check (22.4%). Entering his fantasy golden years (age 30 plus), there may be some trepidation about whether he can continue performing like this. But like the first three names on this list, Harper is an elite talent and should perform at a high level for the foreseeable future. (Colin Coulahan)

5. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (Age: 29, Previous Rank: 4)

I’m willing to state that 2021 was not Mookie’s best season, but I feel it’s being overblown. Looking at trade advice polls this off-season, I’m getting the sense that people are trying to dump Mookie as fast as possible, and I don’t see the issue. Even in a down year, he hit 23 home runs, posted a .356 xwOBA (top 25% of MLB hitters), and maintained his elite approach with a 15.6% K% & 12.4% BB%. All of these numbers are within career norms. It’s very likely the bone spur injury he suffered in 2021 affected his performance and will probably end the high stolen base numbers going forward. But we’ve seen Mookie have down years before and then rebound the following. If anyone in your leagues is selling Mookie at a discount, I would happily pounce on that. (Colin Coulahan)

6. Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros (Age: 25, Previous Rank: 10)

Tucker broke out in a big way last season. He overcame a rough April (.181 average) to hit .294/.359/.557/.917, 30 home runs, and 14 stolen bases for the year. His Statcast data is terrific. Almost all of his batted ball data is in the top 25% of the league. His .400 xwOBA is elite, close to hitters like Fernando Tatis, Byron Buxton, and Shohei Ohtani. The approach is excellent, 15.9% K% & 9.3% BB%, and he hits the ball hard at 111.1 MPH max exit velocity. Tucker checks all the boxes you want to see in the next elite hitter and should only be better in 2022. (Colin Coulahan)

7. Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox (Age: 24, Previous Rank: 9)

A torn hip flexor capped Robert at 68 games, but he raked in those games. He slashed .338/.378/.576 with 13 home runs and six stolen bases. In only 12 more games than he played his rookie year, Robert improved in almost every statistical category. The batted ball skills also improved last year. His max exit velocity jumped up nearly 2 MPH to 117.7 MPH. The average exit velocity increased 3 MPH to 91.2 MPH. The most notable improvement are his Whiff% numbers. In Robert’s rookie year, his Whiff% was a dangerous 41.5% to 28.2%. However, he’s still very aggressive at the plate, walking only 4.7%. But he’s so good at everything else; it feels silly even to mention that. He’s a stud. (Colin Coulahan)

8. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (Age: 24, Previous Rank: 13)

THE KNEES ARE GOOD TO GO! That was the story that dominated the 2020 off-season. How would Yordan’s knees hold up during an entire season after getting surgery. Well, he hit .277/.346/.531 with 33 home runs and a .390 xwOBA. Safe to say, they held up pretty well. Much like his top 10 teammate Tucker, almost all of Alvarez’s batted ball data is in the top 25% of the league, some even in the top 5% or better. His 116.4 MPH max exit velocity was in the top 3%, the 93.2 MPH average exit velocity was as well. Both his 15.9% Barrel% and .390 xwOBA were in the top 9%. He won’t steal many bases, but you don’t draft Yordan to steal bags; you draft him to hit. And Yordan will be hitting at this insane level for many years. (Colin Coulahan)

9. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners (Age: 21, Previous Rank: 11)

If it weren’t for Bobby Witt, Rodríguez would likely be the overall top prospect in baseball. Despite leaving the minor leagues twice to play in the Olympics, J-Rod hit from start to finish in 2021. He slashed .325/.410/.581 with a .992 OPS at High-A and did more of the same at Double-A; .362/.461/.546/1.007). He even stole 21 bases, a career-best. The hit tool is elite, and the power is a double plus. As long as he stays healthy, Rodríguez has the ceiling of a perennial all-star who can be the face of his team. The best estimation of his MLB debut is likely mid-2022, but that depends on many factors. But he has nothing else left to prove at the minor league level. As someone that rosters him on several teams, I cannot wait to see him called up. (Colin Coulahan)

10. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (Age: 29, Previous Rank: 23)

A healthy Aaron Judge is a dangerous Aaron Judge. Since his 2017 rookie year, Judge has always been a great hitter, having never played a full season. He hit 27 home runs in both 2018 and 2019, but he missed chunks of playing time in both years. In 2021 he was finally able to 600 plus plate appearances again and smashed baseballs. Slashing .287/.373/.544, Judge hit 39 home runs with 98 RBI. The K% was at a solid 25%, and his .416 xwOBA was in the top 2% of the league. All of his power numbers were in the top 5% of the league; average exit velocity (95.8 MPH), max exit velocity (119 MPH), and Barrel% (17.6%). Judge may not have the speed a lot of players in the top 10 have, but he more than makes up for it with his bat. He is an offensive force. (Colin Coulahan)

11. Eloy Jiménez, CHICAGO WHITE SOX (AGE: 25, PREVIOUS RANK: 8)

Our rankings have Eloy dropping three spots and outside of the top ten. When Eloy is healthy, he is a force to be reckoned with. The reason he dropped a few places in the ranks is because he only played in 55 out of 162 games in 2021. There is a case to be made to put him above those ranked tenth and ninth, and this time next year we may have him right back in the top ten. If his sabermetrics from 2020 are indicative of 2022 success, then it wouldn’t be a stretch as he is elite pretty much all across the board. Since we are talking dynasty, I would definitely go with Eloy over Julio given the track record. (Brett Cook)

12. JARRED KELENIC, SEATTLE MARINERS (AGE: 22, PREVIOUS RANK: 12)

Even with Kelenic struggling last year, he still finds himself near the top of our outfielder rankings. When you look at the numbers last year, in the first half of the season he hit .096/.185/.193 in 83 at-bats. Pretty atrocious. The other side of the story is that Kelenic did improve in the second half of the season. He didn’t turn any heads or anything but he did improve in the second half as his stat line was .209/.291/.402. Kelenic also displayed some solid power in the second half as he hit 12 bombs. Those twelve home runs in the last half of the 2021 season make it easier to take the risk on Kelenic. (Brett Cook)

13. RILEY GREENE, DETROIT TIGERS (AGE: 21, PREVIOUS RANK: 48)

Greene is an absolute stud. With two stops in the minors last year in Double-A and Triple-A, Greene hit 24 home runs. He also crossed home plate 95 times in those two minor league stints. One negative against Greene is that with the power comes his biggest weakness in a high strikeout rate above 27%. He also walked at a high clip with a combined 11.5% walk percentage in 2021. He is a prime example of a “three true outcomes” player. Greene more than likely will not break camp to begin the season but don’t expect him to be in Triple-A very long. (Brett Cook)

14. TEOSCAR Hernández, TORONTO BLUE JAYS (AGE: 29, PREVIOUS RANK: 26)

Teoscar Hernández played very well in the shortened 2020 season as he basically averaged a home run every three games. Hernández wasn’t able to repeat that same home run rate in 2021 but he did dominate at the plate. Hernández hit 32 bombs in 2021. He also boasted the highest batting average and on-base percentage in his career. Teoscar also stole twelve bags in 2021. The sabermetrics for Teoscar show a slight drop in 2021 when compared to his 2020 numbers. It is easy to see why this is the case. It isn’t that Teoscar is trending downward in his career. The reason is that 2020 was a small sample size and Teoscar was dominant in those 50 games. (Brett Cook)

15. KETEL MARTE, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (AGE: 28, PREVIOUS RANK: 4 at 2B)

Marte was elite in 2021. His xBA was in the league’s top 2%. One of the balls off Marte’s bat was among the leagues hardest hit balls as his max exit velocity was in the 97th percentile. His whiff percentage was also in the leagues top 10%. The list continues for Marte. He found himself boasting sabermetrics better than 80-89 percent of the league in the following areas: average exit velocity, hard hit percentage, xSLG, and strikeout percentage. The one negative for Marte is that he was injured for a significant amount of time. The pros definitely outweigh the cons here. (Brett Cook)

16. BRYAN REYNOLDS, PITTSBURGH PIRATES (AGE: 27, PREVIOUS RANK: 86)

Reynolds is another victim of the crazy 2020 season, evidenced by his drop in our rankings going into the 2021 season. Now we have him up 70 spots. Reynolds’s sabermetrics in 2021 we’re very reminiscent of his 2019 sabermetrics with one thing worth mentioning. His sabermetrics were his career best. The only blue area in his metrics was his outfielder jump. Outside of that all the other areas were mainly red, besides two areas that were just above league average. It was also his best year as far production goes as he hit 24 bombs and 35 doubles with a .302/.390/.522 stat line. Don’t miss out on Reynolds! (Brett Cook)

17. CEDRIC MULLINS, BALTIMORE ORIOLES (AGE: 27, PREVIOUS RANK: 154)

Mullins busted onto the scene in 2021 with a terrific feat as he hit 30 home runs and 30 doubles while stealing 30 bags. The last players to do that were Christian Yelich and Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2019. The season before that Mookie Betts and José Ramírez were the only players in the 30/30 club. And the last time someone finished a season in the 30/30 club before Ramírez and Betts were Braun and Trout in 2012. All of this to say, Mullins did something special in 2021 and we shouldn’t be surprised if he does it again. (Brett Cook)

18. BYRON BUXTON, MINNESOTA TWINS (AGE: 28, PREVIOUS RANK: 42)


Byron Buxton. He has the power. He has the speed. This year he showed he has patience at the plate. Everything was there in his game when he played. The issue is that Buxton can’t stay healthy. Buxton only played in 87 games out of 162 in 2019. He followed that up with only playing in 39 out of 60 regular season games in 2020. What about 2021? He played in 61 games out of 162 games. It has been the normal story for Buxton basically every year. He can’t stay healthy. This past season Buxton was at his best at the plate. If he can repeat that success and stay healthy then he very well may jump in rankings next year. (Brett Cook)

19. TYLER O’NEILL, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (AGE: 26, PREVIOUS RANK: 125)

This is one guy I am not behind. I know what you are saying. Something around the lines of how he hit 34 home runs last year with a .286/.352/.560 stat line. I am willing to bite the bullet if I am wrong but I am pretty confident I will be right on this. 
Just take a look at his sabermetrics. O’Neill struggled every year from 2018-2020. He struggles with being able to hit the ball consistently. Could this be the new and improved O’Neill? Yes, of course. While it is possible, it doesn’t seem likely to me. He sells out for power and this year he will snap back in production. (Brett Cook)

20. RANDY AROZARENA, TAMPA BAY RAYS (AGE: 27, PREVIOUS RANK: 24)

Arozarena rounds out the top 20 outfielders. Let’s begin looking at Arozarena by bringing to light his sabermetric struggles, as he was among the bottom in the league in the following areas: xBA, xSLG, whiff %, xwOBA and strikeout percentage. It is not all doom and gloom for Arozarena, though, as he was better than league average in many areas. Arozarena also hit 20 home runs and  stole 20 bases in 2021. Randy also produced a very solid .274/.356/.459 stat line. It was all enough for him to win the 2021 American League Rookie of the Year award. Don’t sleep on Randy! (Brett Cook)