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Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered outfielder rankings

By Bill Pivetz

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 03: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves watches his hit for a single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning in game one of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 03: Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves watches his hit for a single against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning in game one of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 03, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The five players in this tier could easily be the first five picks in any fantasy baseball draft.

Mookie Betts, LAD

Betts saw a bit of a drop in performance between 2018 and 2019. His batting average dropped 50 points, hit three fewer home runs and stole 14 fewer bases in 14 more games. Leaving the AL East to play in the NL West may hurt as well.

According to ESPN Park Factors, Oracle Park, Petco Park and Chase Field ranked in the bottom half for home runs. Dodger Stadium finished ninth. Then again, his new supporting cast is better than what he had. Betts can easily bounce back to his 2018 self and hit another 30 home runs. He’s a lock as the No. 5 best hitter.

Cody Bellinger, LAD

I talked about Bellinger in my first basemen rankings. The Dodgers lineup is great. The next player on the list will make everyone around him better. Bellinger will not make it to the end of the first round. If you want him, you better be ready to pay for him.

Christian Yelich, MIL

An injury ruined what could have been back-to-back MVP seasons. In 130 games, he hit 44 home runs, 97 RBIs and .329. He also stole 30 bases and scored 100 runs. Looking ahead to this season, you can bank on 35 home runs, 95 RBIs and a .308 average.

The downside is how he rebounds from the fractured kneecap. Yelich is expected to be ready for Opening Day but I would monitor him throughout spring training. The loss of Grandal and Moustakas will also have an effect on his value.

Ronald Acuna, ATL

Some people have Acuna as the No. 1 player. I don’t, at least not this season. Acuna finished 2019 with 41 home runs, 101 RBIs, 37 steals and a .280 average. He is so close to a 40/40 season. I think this is the year it happens.

Acuna is locked as the Braves leadoff hitter, so another 100 runs is guaranteed. With the Braves in a win-now mode, I expect him to steal a lot, too. The only negative is his strikeouts. He struck out 188 times last season. If he can get that down to 150, then he’ll be the best hitter next season.

Mike Trout, LAA

Trout is my best outfielder, and best hitter, this season. If I had the first pick, it would be tough but I would draft Trout. He had a career-high 45 home runs with 104 RBIs and a .291 average in 134 games last season.

The Angels finally gave Trout some support by signing Anthony Rendon. With Rendon and Shohei Ohtani behind him, Trout will score 100-plus runs this season. There is a negative to Trout, though. He hasn’t played in over 140 games in three-straight seasons. With a full season, who knows what he can do, at just 28 years old.

Next. Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered shortstop rankings. dark

That’s it for all of the hitters. Now, we move on to the pitchers. I will rank my top-70 starting pitchers and my top-60 relief pitchers. Opening Day is just a couple of weeks away. It’s time to continue prepping and get to mocking.

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