Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered outfielder rankings
By Bill Pivetz
The six hitters here have the potential to move into the top five, but they are missing one piece to their game.
George Springer, HOU
Springer missed about a month of the 2019 season but was still able to produce a valuable season for fantasy baseball owners. He posted career highs in home runs (39), RBIs (96) and batting average (.292). If he played the full season, he might have been the MVP. The lack of speed keeps him from being higher on the rankings but he contributes greatly to the other four categories. Springer is a top-40 pick.
Starling Marte, ARI
Marte is another outfielder that won’t excite you by his name but his production will. He has back-to-back 20-home run seasons and the potential to steal 25 bases and hit .290. The move to the pitcher-friendly Chase Field may hurt some of those counting numbers but the lineup is better. He has a third-round ADP, which is at least one round too high for me.
Aaron Judge, NYY
The Yankees are picking up where they left off last season, injured. Giancarlo Stanton is dealing with a calf strain and Luis Severino is done of the year. Judge is dealing with right shoulder soreness and hasn’t faced any live pitching this spring. He is someone to monitor to see if he’s going to be ready for Opening Day. If so, get ready for another 40-home run season.
Bryce Harper, PHI
Harper’s 2019 can be broken into two halves, with the latter leading to something good for this season. He hit .253 before the break and .270 after. He also stole 15 bases. The Phillies lineup will be great this year, as long as everyone’s healthy. He may not have 50-home run power but 36 with a .260 average and 15 steals is more than what we can ask for.
J.D. Martinez, BOS
Martinez is not going to be stealing any bases. So, if you’re looking to catch up on speed in the second or third round, pass on him. However, he is a great source for power and batting average. He hit 36 home runs, 105 RBIs and .304 last season. The loss of Mookie Betts will hurt some but Martinez will still hit close to 40 home runs.
Juan Soto, WSH
Soto had a great rookie season and built on that last year and was even better. He hit .282 with 34 home runs, 110 RBIs and 12 steals. Soto is just 21 years old (how many times will we hear that this season?) so the sky is the limit. He’s the Nationals cleanup hitter. The loss of Anthony Rendon will hurt everyone involved but Soto is close to immune. He’s a great second-round pick.