Top 20 Fantasy Baseball Outfielders

Grady Sizemore Takes Over the First Draft Spot for 2009

Apr 7, 2009

The outfield is the best and deepest source for great fantasy baseball players.

1. Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians

Sizemore does it all. In 2008, he hit 33 home runs and stole 38 bases to go along with 101 runs scored and 90 RBI. Sizemore’s only downside was his batting average, which dipped to .268 from a career high of .290 in 2006. Assuming Sizemore hits closer to his .280 career average, he will be the top producing outfielder with great across-the-board fantasy statistics.

2. Carlos Beltran, New York Mets

He does it every season. Last year, Beltran hit. 284 with 27 home runs, 112 RBI, 116 runs and 25 stolen bases. Since 2001, he only had one season when he failed to top 24 homers and 100 RBI. In six of the last eight years, he has also had at least 20 stolen bases and 100 runs scored. Plus, although it seems like he has been around forever, Carlos is only 32 years old. Expect him to hit .280 and match his career averages in the other four offensive categories.

3. Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers

Braun followed a breakout rookie season with a very good sophomore year, hitting .285 with 37 home runs, 106 RBI, 92 runs and 14 stolen bases. He’s now entering his third big league season, and at just 25 years old, fantasy owners should expect him to produce even more this season.

4. Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs

Fantasy draft experts have dropped Soriano from his usual top 10 overall spot. That’s understandable, considering that Soriano’s production has dropped since his monster 2006 season (when he hit 46 home runs and stole 41 bases). But if you look at his numbers from last year, a season in which he only played 109 games (or 2/3 of a full season), he still hit .280 with 29 home runs, 75 RBI, 76 runs scored and 19 steals. Extrapolate those numbers over a full season and you are looking at a guy who could top 40 homers and steal 25 bases.

5. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

By now, his story is a legend, but his production may be even better. Hamilton has a ton of talent; no one knows how high he can go. If he matches, or even comes close to, his stats from 2008, when he batted .304 with 32 HR, 130 RBI, 98 runs and 9 steals, he is easily a top five fantasy outfielder.

6. Matt Holliday, Oakland Athletics

Holliday’s statistics dropped from his 2007 season, when he was a runner-up to Jimmy Rollins in the MVP award, but he still put up nice numbers: .321 BA, 25 HR, 88 RBI, 107 runs and 28 stolen bases. He’s moved to Oakland, and will be facing a new crop of pitchers. He may not be the player he was in 2007, but he should produce like he did in 2008.

7. Carlos Lee, Houston Astros

Even though he missed 47 games last year, he still had 28 home runs and 100 RBI to go along with a .321 batting average. If he plays a full season, expect a .300 BA, 30 home runs, 100 RBI, 85 runs and maybe one or two steals.

8. Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox

Quentin had a breakout year in 2008 despite missing the last month of the season to a broken wrist. In 130 games, he hit .288 with 36 home runs, 100 RBI and 97 runs scored. He even stole 7 bases. He’s healthy again, so look for him to hit .290 with at least 30 homers, 95 RBI and 90 runs.

9. B.J. Upton, Tampa Bay Rays

From a power standpoint, Upton was a huge disappointment in 2008. After hitting 24 home runs and knocking in 84 in 129 games in 2007, Upton hit only 9 home runs and picked up just 67 RBI in ’08. He did, however, steal 44 bases and score 85 runs. He also went on a serious home run tear in the NLDS and NLCS last October, hitting 7 home runs against playoff pitching in 11 games. Look for his steals to increase to 50, and his homers to jump to 15-20. He’ll also drive in 80 and score 100 runs in that good Rays’ lineup.

10. Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers

He won't steal any bases, but Manny will hit over .300 with at least 30 homers, 95 RBI and 90 runs scored. Plus, he's so damn loveable.

11. Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays, 2008 Stats (,273 BA, 8 HR, 57 RBI, 69 Runs, 30 SB)

14. Nick Markakis, Baltimore Orioles (.306 BA, 20 HR, 87 RBI, 106 Runs, 10 SB)

15. Shane Victorino, Philadelphia Phillies (.293 BA, 14 HR, 58 RBI, 106 Runs, 36 SB)

16. Curtis Granderson, Detroit Tigers (.280 BA, 22 HR, 66 RBI, 112 Runs, 12 SB)

19. Nate McLouth, Pittsburgh Pirates (.276 BA, 26 HR, 94 RBI, 113 Runs, 23 SB)

20. Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (.310 BA, 6 HR, 42 RBI, 109 Runs, 43 SB)

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