The young Marlins outfield is the meat of their order. The cream of the crop plays in right field and is the favorite to hit the most home runs in 2015. Giancarlo Stanton is the best power hitter in the game whether it is being displayed during games or at the Home Run Derby.
(The mammoth blast is not until 1:15 in the video).
Stanton is my obvious choice with the #2 overall pick in my draft. He is young, he will contribute in all five categories, and his 2014 numbers are completely replicable. In fact, I think Stanton goes for 40+ homers next year and sets a new career high.
While Marcell Ozuna does not have quite the power of his Marlins’ teammate in right field, Ozuna still possesses 25-30 home run power. His 23/85 HR/RBI stat line from 2014 is appealing to me, especially considering that he is only 24 years old. Marcell Ozuna makes a nice target in deeper keeper leagues, which you can read more about here.
The other corner outfielder of the Miami Marlins has quite a promising future himself. As you can see in Tanner’s projections, Christian Yelich is well on his way to becoming a hearty fantasy contributor. If Yelich manages to start hitting a few more balls in the air, then his HR potential will increase even if it comes at the cost of a little batting average. I would accept that exchange as Yelich completes Miami’s great outfield.
Dee Gordon is on your team for one main reason. Unlike most other speedsters in the OF, Dee Gordon has very valuable 2B eligibility that drives his ADP up. In fact, I would take Gordon over Billy Hamilton because while neither has shown they can hit well on a consistent basis, Dee Gordon has second base eligibility and a team that wants him there. Dee Gordon is a risky pick, but he will at least go roughly 50 spots lower than Jose Altuve.
Tanner Bell of Smart Fantasy Baseball has created all of the projections seen in this post. You can read about how he develops his projections here. His projections are invaluable to this site. You can also visit his site at www.smartfantasybaseball.com.