Check out our latest fantasy baseball draft primer. This article dives into the outfield position. Here’s a rundown of the top outfielders in fantasy baseball, including fantasy baseball rankings, tiers and player notes to help guide your fantasy baseball drafts.
Fantasy Baseball Outfielders Primer: Rankings & Tiers
The outfield position used to be flush with talent where you could wait a while and still get a lot of power from the position. However, that is no longer the case. While the position is strong at the top and there are several interesting options towards the bottom, the drop-off from the elite tiers is massive and there are many platoon bats to worry about as we get deeper into the ranks and average draft position (ADP).
The strategy with outfielders is very league-dependent. The deeper the league, the more you want to prioritize the position. Once you get past the top 20-25 outfielders, the pool becomes riskier. If you are in a three-outfielder format, you can wait on the position. For those who play in five-outfielder formats, you should prioritize outfielders, especially in deeper leagues.
Here are my outfielder tiers for 2025.
Tier 1 & Notes
Since the 2021 season, Aaron Judge has put up at least 37 home runs in each season and only once played fewer than 148 games. He also delivers a great average and counting stats hitting in the middle of the Yankees’ order.
There is some risk as he struggled with injury before 2021 and missed time in 2023, but the power upside is massive and the concerns are not as prevalent as they once were.
Tier 2 & Notes
Juan Soto cashed in on his best season in the Majors and is moving to Queens to hit in the middle of the Mets’ lineup. He is one of the best pure hitters in baseball and one of the safest first-round picks in fantasy.
After a slow start to 2024, Corbin Carroll was a monster in the second half, hitting .258 with 17 home runs and stealing 17 bases. He hits atop what was the best offense in baseball last season and should continue to get better.
Tier 3 & Notes
If not for an injury that cost him half the season last year, Kyle Tucker would likely be in the second tier. He is moving to a worse park in a league he has not played in, but when he is on the field, he is a 30/30 threat and this is a contract year for him.
Jarren Duran is a top-of-the-order hitter on a great offense and has power and speed in the profile. He is one of the few hitters that can get to 700+ plate appearances. Duran will be a threat to lead the Majors in runs scored in 2025.
Jackson Merrill was the breakout player of 2024 and should improve upon his rookie season. The upside on him isn’t as massive as others in this tier, but he is such a safe hitter because of his amazing hit tool. This is a fantastic blend of safety and upside.
Jackson Chourio has massive upside. A 20/20 season as a rookie is just the start for him as he has 30/30 upside. We could easily be talking about him in Tier 1 next season.
Mooki Betts drops just a bit despite his multi-positional eligibility because of his missed time with injury and the illness that has caused him to miss the Dodgers’ first two games of the season. There still is a ton of upside when healthy in the best lineup in baseball, but there is a risk that wasn’t present before.
Julio Rodriguez is a fantastic hitter but his problems are that of the team around him and the park he plays in. If he was on a different team, he would likely be a Tier 2 outfielder, but the Mariners’ lineup around him is anemic and the park is terrible for hitters. He is still a stud, but one that lacks upside because of the team he plays for.
Yordan Alvarez is one of the best pure hitters in baseball, but injuries have held him back from reaching the heights his physical tools could have him reach. The Astros’ lineup did get a bit worse around him as well, but on a per-plate appearance basis, he is a stud.
Ronald Acuna is going to miss the beginning of the season and has reportedly said he will not be as active in the run game to keep himself healthy. He has massive upside, but the downside is risky as well.
Tier 4 & Notes
Teoscar Hernandez returning to L.A. was huge for his value. He is hitting in the middle of a fantastic lineup and there is a ton of power in the bat. The contact skills are questionable but Hernandez will give you a good amount of power and accumulate the counting stats.
Before last season, Jazz Chisholm Jr. had never reached 525 plate appearances in a season, but he did last year and broke out. There is a risk the injury issues return, but the upside is massive, as he hit 11 home runs and stole 18 bases in 191 plate appearances after being traded to the Yankees. There is 30/50 upside if Chisholm stays healthy in New York, but there is a risk he goes back to being a player that struggles to get to 400 plate appearances.
No player changed their offensive profile more in 2024 than Brenton Doyle. Before last year, he was a defensive first player who could steal some bases, but he improved his Z-Contact from 79% to 86%, which is massive as he didn’t sacrifice power to do so. Doyle doesn’t need to take another step forward to be a massive player this year, but he still could get better.
In a half-season, James Wood showed a ton of power and speed in Washington. He needs to elevate the ball more, but if he can do that while keeping the contact skills intact, there is massive upside in the bat.
Anthony Santander is about as safe as a power source as they come. He has averaged 35 home runs and 95 RBI a season for the last three years and is moving to Toronto where he will hit in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup.
Wyatt Langford had a slow start to the season last year but he got better as the season went on. Langford finished extremely strong in September, hitting .300 with eight home runs and seven stolen bases. The upside is massive for him, but the price is rising fast.
Lawrence Butler made massive in-season changes to his hit tool, which allowed him to make a lot more in-zone contact. The power has never been in question, but with more contact, he was able to unlock more of it. The A’s are moving to a much better park and the team around him is improving, giving him a ton of upside.
Bryan Reynolds doesn’t have the upside like others do in this tier, but he is about as safe as they come. He has four straight seasons of at least 24 home runs and adds double-digit steals with a good average. He is a bit of a boring profile, but one you can trust.
Tier 5 & Notes
There is no player in the outfield with the upside and downside of Luis Robert Jr. He has the potential to be a 40/30 hitter, but he has also struggled with health and never has reached 600 plate appearances in a season.
Robert is also on the worst team in baseball, so the counting numbers to go along with the home runs and stolen bases could be lacking. We have seen a skills degradation in the hit tool as well over recent years, but it is hard to know how much of that is the injuries he has dealt with. He is about as boom or bust as they come.
There is power and speed with Seiya Suzuki, but he has struggled to stay healthy. He has yet to hit 525 plate appearances in a Major League season. While he has hit at least 20 home runs in each of the last two seasons, there has to be some concern the ceiling is a bit capped.
Michael Harris is great on a per-plate appearance basis, but he struggles to stay on the field and hit at the top of the Braves lineup. He has power and speed with a good hit tool, but he swings outside the zone too much and the lack of plate appearances lowers his upside.
Riley Greene has improved each season and has grown into more power as his body matures. The 24-year-old is now primed for another step if he can stay on the field — something he has struggled with in his first few Major League seasons.
Christian Yelich is coming off of another back injury, adding another level of risk to a player who has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. When he is on the field, he is still a great player, but he becomes riskier and riskier each season.
Oniel Cruz has massive upside because of the power and speed in the profile. He is shooting up fantasy ADP after a second half where he hit .277 with seven home runs and 15 stolen bases.
A closer look into the splits shows Cruz really just had a massive August and then struggled to end the season. His struggles with consistent zone contact will lead to huge slumps to go along with his massive hot streaks.
Cody Bellinger has struggled with health, but when he is on the field, he is still a great hitter. He is moving to a fantastic park that will play well for his lefty swing, but the health piece is still something that makes him a risky bet.
Tier 6 & Notes
Jake McCarthy has been a great speed source at times but has not been a full-time player, but that figures to change this season after he hit .285/.349/.400 with eight home runs and 25 stolen bases in 495 plate appearances. His defense is plus and he could be a massive contributor in steals if he does get to 600+ plate appearances.
Mike Trout is still one of the premier players when healthy, but he hasn’t reached 600+ plate appearances since 2019 and only played in 29 games last season. There is a massive amount of risk, but the upside is still there for him to be a top-tier player if he stays healthy.
Adolis Garcia had a down year last season, but several other Rangers did as well. The strikeouts are an issue, so there will be ups and downs, but there is a lot of power and he is still hitting in the middle of a great lineup in Texas.
Kerry Carpenter has a ton of power in the bat and a better-than-advertised hit tool, but he struggled versus left-handed pitching season and dealt with injuries. The Tigers have stated they would like to give Carpenter a chance to figure out southpaws. He is healthy now, so there is a ton of upside but the downside is a player that struggles to accumulate stats.
Colton Cowser had a nice breakout performance in 2024, hitting 24 home runs and stealing nine bases with a .242 average. The strikeouts can be an issue, but he is a fantastic defender, which keeps him on the field even when he is struggling offensively. The power is immense and the team around Cowser continues to improve.
Jung Hoo Lee missed most of 2024 with an injury, but he is healthy now and will be hitting high up in the Giants’ lineup. There isn’t a ton of speed or power in the profile, but he figures to be a pretty good accumulator.
Randy Arozarena has been a great fantasy option for years, but the lack of in-zone contact skills is starting to catch up with him and he is now in a bad park with an anemic offense around him. The upside is still there, but the downside is much more apparent.
George Springer is becoming quietly underrated. He misses time, but he leads off for a good lineup and has power and speed. A good source of runs, Springer is a nice glue piece later in drafts.
Tier 7 & Notes
Jesus Sanchez would have been much higher on this list but is going to miss the start of the season with an oblique injury. He has power and speed, but the lineup around him isn’t very good. Sanchez could be in line to be traded at some point but is an interesting stash play until that happens.
Pete Crow-Armstrong has a ton of speed and is a great defender who will play because his defense is so valuable to the Cubs. However, Crow-Armstrong is not a good in-zone hitter. He has struggled with swinging too much outside of the zone as well. There is a lot of risk in the batting average, but there is a ton of speed upside in the profile.
Dylan Crews is another top Nationals prospect who made his debut last season. Despite a paltry line, he showed a better hit tool than expected and there is a ton of speed in the profile as well. Crews needs to raise his launch angle a bit, but there is 15/30 upside here.
Jasson Dominguez is a top prospect finally getting a chance to play full-time. He has power and speed in the profile with an underrated hit tool. Dominguez could have a huge breakout season in a great lineup and park in New York.
We have seen the ups and downs of Josh Lowe throughout his short career. He missed a lot of time with injury last season but is healthy now. There is some risk, but Lowe gets to move to a great park and there is massive upside.
JJ Bleday has gone from top prospect to bust to rising from the ashes. He would likely be a platoon bat on most teams, but with the A’s he is a full-time player with power moving to a much better park.
Jacob Young is a pure speed play on an ascending team. He is a fantastic defender and while he did put on muscle this offseason, he won’t hit for much power.
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