As always, outfield is oozing with fantasy talent from top to bottom. Virtually every outfielder who also qualifies at an infield position should be used elsewhere so you can save up those precious outfield spots in your starting lineup for the seemingly unlimited options. For the most part, I’m willing to wait on the position because of all the value that can be found later, but if you have a top-five pick (Yelich, Acuna, Bellinger, Soto, Betts — in that order), you can’t really pass one up. It needs mentioning, of course, that Mike Trout should no longer be considered a first round pick considering the likelihood that he sits at least 25% of the season when his child is about to be born. Before we get to the full rankings, let me tell you about my three favorite targets at the position.
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Juan Soto (WAS): 1st Round Target
It seemed impossible that Soto could be even better than his rookie year but that is just what we got with 34 homers, 110 RBIs, 110 runs and a .282 batting average to go with 12 steals. Considering how young he is, we may see even more in 2020 which makes his late-1st/early-2nd ADP so puzzling, considering he was already every bit as useful as Mookie Betts last year.
Luis Robert (CWS): 8th Round Target
Don’t look now, but Robert was better than even Fernando Tatis in the minors. Much better. He does have holes in his swing but in 200 games, has still managed to bat .312 because of his speed and elite exit velocities. He has future 40/40 potential and could be a superstar even as a rookie this year as we’ve seen from youngsters each of the past several seasons (Pete Alonso, Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa, Juan Soto).
Avisail Garcia (MIL): 18th Round Target
If you are scrambling to find a useful late-round outfielder, look no further. Garcia has an excellent bat, hitting 20 homers with a .282 batting average and incredible statcast data in just 125 games last year. The sizeable ballpark upgrade could drive those home run rates higher. And let’s not forget that he batted .330 just a few years ago. A .290 average with power this season is likely, making his ADP laughable.
Other Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | SP | RP
ADP – Average Draft Position
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