Let’s start to wrap up our second look at our 2012 rankings with the outfielders. There is no questioning who the top options are, though that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of questions throughout the rankings. Let’s take a look how things currently look:
- Jose Bautista – Toronto Blue Jays
- Matt Kemp – Los Angeles Dodgers
- Ryan Braun – Milwaukee Brewers
- Justin Upton – Arizona Diamondbacks
- Carlos Gonzalez – Colorado Rockies
- Jacoby Ellsbury – Boston Red Sox
- Andrew McCutchen – Pittsburgh Pirates
- Matt Holliday – St. Louis Cardinals
- Josh Hamilton – Texas Rangers
- Giancarlo Stanton – Miami Marlins
- Curtis Granderson – New York Yankees
- Hunter Pence – Philadelphia Phillies
- Jay Bruce – Cincinnati Reds
- Ben Zobrist – Tampa Bay Rays
- Michael Bourn – Atlanta Braves
- Alex Gordon – Kansas City Royals
- Adam Jones – Baltimore Orioles
- Shin-Soo Choo – Cleveland Indians
- Desmond Jennings – Tampa Bay Rays
- Shane Victorino – Philadelphia Phillies
Thoughts:
- No one is going to argue that Curtis Granderson had an amazing 2011 campaign, hitting .262 with 41 HR, 119 RBI, 136 R and 25 SB. The question is, does anyone really expect him to be able to replicate those numbers? The stat that most obviously sticks out is the runs scored, though he could easily regress across the board. Will he really repeat a 20.5% HR/FB? How about the potential fall in an already low average, considering his 24.5% strikeout rate and 48.0% fly ball rate? It’s not to say that he shouldn’t be owned, but value him accordingly. For more of my thoughts on Granderson, click here.
- Generally I am not a fan of selecting a pure stolen base threat early, but Michael Bourn is definitely an exception to the rule. Not only can he potentially win the category for you single-handedly, but he should hit for a solid average (.275-.290) and hitting atop the Atlanta lineup should bring a career high in runs scored (97 R is his previous high). He’s a player well worth targeting.
- Justin Upton and Carlos Gonzalez bring extreme talent to the table, and both are potential first round talents. Unfortunately for them, it seems nearly impossible to break into the Top 3 at the position. Bautista, Kemp and Braun are a hard trio to crack.
- Can Jay Bruce bring consistency to the table? If he does, the sky truly is the limit. In 2011 he had one huge month (.342 with 12 HR and 33 RBI in May), but only had more than 4 HR in one other month. The other concern is in his strikeout rate (23.8% in ’11), but that shouldn’t be seen as crippling. At 25-years old, the time is now for him to figure out how to carry his production throughout the season.
- Is anyone betting against a Shin-Soo Choo rebound in 2012? He had the DUI arrest early, which was just the tip of the iceberg last season. Throw in some injuries and poor production (.258, 8 HR, 12 SB) and there is a good reason to be down on him. While I always had my concerns regarding an inflated BABIP, it’s hard to imagine him not producing significantly better than he did. He’s the same player who went 20/20 in 2009 & 2010, so don’t sleep on him this year.
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Make sure to check out all of our 2012 rankings:
- Catchers
- First Basemen
- Second Basemen
- Third Basemen
- Shortstops
- Starting Pitchers: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60
- Closers
Where the hell is Nelson Cruz???
To me there is way too much risk with Nelson Cruz to include him in the Top 20. We all know he’s going to miss time, and that has to be taken into account. He’s never had more than 475 AB in a season, so it’s really hard to rank him too high.
Granted, when he’s healthy he is a tremendous hitter, but the risk of losing him for a significant amount of time has to drag him down.
Feeling like the outfield was pretty shallow beyond the first couple of tiers, I thought I would target OF in my 12-team roto draft, but I may have gotten a bit carried away. I thought I would pick up a Hosmer as 1B in the 4th but he went a couple picks earlier, so I took Hamels. I kept seeing bargains on pitching and never got a sniff at 3B as they all went at least a round earlier than I had thought. Youk went in the 5th, etc.
So I ended up with a weak infield, with Moustakas at 3B and Freeman at 1B. Do you think these guys will be able to tow the line at least for a month so I can build trade value in a few of my pitchers/OF, or do I need to look to trade for a top corner infielder before the season even gets going?
Here’s my team (5×5 + counting holds and walks):
1. (6) Ryan Braun (Mil – OF)
2. (19) Carlos Gonzalez (Col – OF)
3. (30) Josh Hamilton (Tex – OF)
4. (43) Cole Hamels (Phi – SP)
5. (54) David Price (TB – SP)
6. (67) Jon Lester (Bos – SP)
7. (78) Buster Posey (SF – C)
8. (91) Mat Latos (Cin – SP)
9. (102) Freddie Freeman (Atl – 1B)
10. (115) Brian Wilson (SF – RP)
11. (126) Andre Ethier (LAD – OF)
12. (139) Alexei Ramirez (CWS – SS)
13. (150) Jemile Weeks (Oak – 2B)
14. (163) Huston Street (SD – RP)
15. (174) Mike Moustakas (KC – 3B)
16. (187) Sean Marshall (Cin – RP)
17. (198) Matt Joyce (TB – OF)
18. (211) Alexi Ogando (Tex – SP)
19. (222) Colby Lewis (Tex – SP)
20. (235) Francisco Liriano (Min – SP)
21. (246) Scott Downs (LAA – RP)
22. (259) Wilson Ramos (Was – C)
23. (270) Alex Rios (CWS – OF)
24. (283) Rafael Soriano (NYY – RP)
25. (294) Aaron Hill (Ari – 2B)
26. (307) Andres Torres (NYM – OF)
Thanks!
Adam Jones is good in five cats and thats not even taking into account of a potential breakout. A breakout would rank him higher, maybe ahead of Gordan IMO…..
I love Freeman, so I wouldn’t be so quick to replace him in the least. I think Moustakas will be alright also, so I would stand pat and see how things go!
Alright–nice one, thanks!
Adam Jones at 17? What has he done to deserve that high a ranking — is this based on an anticipated break out?
We have to name our keepers soon in our league, and I am leaning against keeping Jones (and Chris Young for that matter). Should I reconsider?
Adam Jones is good in five cats and thats not even taking into account of a potential breakout. A breakout would rank him higher, maybe ahead of Gordan IMO…..
He wasn’t so bad last season, was he? You can argue that he’s already broken out, and should be a lock to hit .280 with 25/80/80/10 That’s a very good line across the board, especially since he could easily out-produce it
I have a trade offer for Jeff Francoeur and Huston Street, they want me to give up Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee and Jurjjens. Just want to know if this is a good deal. I have some power in the lineup but not much in the OF. Any help would be appreciated.
also I have drew storen and jordan walden at closer right now. thanks.
I don’t mind the guys you are giving up at all (don’t like any of them), but is there anyone better than Francoeur available? Also, how many teams?
8 teams in the league, sadly… the trade was made for me with the guys above without me knowing after I posted my question. my first mistake was splitting the team with someone else. thanks for the help though. great site.