20 Players Experts Draft: Outfielders (2024 Fantasy Baseball)

When preparing for your fantasy baseball drafts, knowing which players to target and others to avoid is important. The amount of information available can be overwhelming, so a great way to condense the data and determine players to draft and others to leave for your leaguemates is to use our expert consensus fantasy baseball rankings compared to average draft position (ADP). In this way, you can identify players the experts are willing to reach for at ADP and others they are not drafting until much later than average. Let’s dive into a few notable players below.

2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Advice

Rank	Player	Team	Positions	Best	Worst	Avg	Std Dev	ADP	vs. ADP
60	Christian Yelich	MIL	DH,LF	36	76	62.1	7.1	71	11
92	Seiya Suzuki	CHC	RF	58	138	97.1	14.8	104	12
122	Riley Greene	DET	CF	55	183	130.3	22.5	145	23
125	Wyatt Langford	TEX	LF	77	246	132.7	38.8	155	30
141	Ian Happ	CHC	LF	41	178	145.6	20	159	18
157	Jarren Duran	BOS	CF,LF	127	236	159.1	21.3	176	19
161	Brandon Nimmo	NYM	CF	53	204	160.1	22.5	181	20
194	Byron Buxton	MIN	DH	131	243	198.3	19.4	224	30
197	Lars Nootbaar	STL	CF,LF,RF	132	259	203.8	26.5	221	24
198	J.D. Martinez		DH	143	334	204.1	32.7	222	24
199	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	ARI	DH,LF	162	254	205.5	17.5	218	19
202	Starling Marte	NYM	RF	157	243	207.2	16.3	214	12
204	Tyler O’Neill	BOS	LF	135	272	207.5	19.7	226	22
211	Taylor Ward	LAA	LF	141	257	213.7	21.7	238	27
215	Jung Hoo Lee	SF	CF	149	296	216.9	30.1	239	24
218	Jack Suwinski	PIT	CF,RF	102	274	219.5	21.1	246	28
237	Max Kepler	MIN	RF	200	315	245	22.2	260	23
242	Sal Frelick	MIL	CF,RF	142	303	252.8	33.8	280	38
247	Jose Siri	TB	CF	140	296	262	22.8	321	74
250	Jake Fraley	CIN	DH,LF,RF	213	353	266.6	33.3	329	79

What is Fantasy Baseball?

Fantasy baseball is an online game where participants act as managers of virtual baseball teams based on real-life Major League Baseball (MLB) players. The performance of these players in actual games determines the results in the fantasy league. It’s a blend of skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck, akin to the real-world decisions team managers must make.

Basic Strategy for Fantasy Baseball Success

1. Understand Your League’s Format and Scoring

Before drafting your team, it’s essential to understand the scoring system and rules of your specific league, as this will influence your drafting and management strategy. Knowing whether you’re in a points-based, category-based, or head-to-head league will guide you in selecting players whose strengths align with the scoring system.

2. Drafting Your Team Wisely

A solid draft is the foundation of a successful season. Here are a few tips for the drafting phase:

Balanced Team: Ensure you have a balanced team with a mix of power hitters, average hitters, speedsters, starting pitchers, and relievers.
Position Scarcity: Be aware of the depth of talent at each position. Some positions, like shortstop, may have fewer high-quality players, making it beneficial to draft a top player at that position early.
High-Floor Players: Early in the draft, focus on players with a proven track record of consistency.
Upside Picks: In the later rounds, look for “upside” players. These are athletes who have the potential to outperform their draft position.

3. In-Season Management

Stay Active: Constantly look for ways to improve your team through waivers, trades, and free-agent pickups.
Mind the Matchups: Pay attention to player matchups, platoon splits, and ballparks. Starting a pitcher in a hitter-friendly park, for example, can be risky.
Injury Management: Stay on top of player injuries and have backups ready for your key players.