The fantasy playoffs are winding down and the last-minute roto push is driving fantasy managers crazy. While this is usually our slot for the top 100 rest of the season hitter rankings, I am going to trust that you can make those calls for the last week of the season. In honor of your fantasy championship (we know all our readers are winners) we will spend the next few weeks digging through our Fantasy MVPs by looking back at our spring drafts and who delivered the biggest bang for our fantasy buck. There will not be enough room for all the upstarts of the season, so let the debates begin with the 2021 Fantasy MVP Outfielders!
OF #1 – Cedric Mullins (88-29-56-30-.300)
As I write this article, Cedric Mullins is crossing the plate on his way to a curtain call on a 30-30 season. This has certainly been a magical year for a player that was the 116th outfielder off the board in NFBC leagues. He sat on the board right after Yasiel Puig was drafted. Can you imagine gambling on Puig only to watch Mullins cash in all year long?
For 2022, Mullins will be at the top of many draft boards and rightfully so. However, it is never too early to start a little bit of a fade. While the stats are real, there has certainly been a level of luck involved. The speed will continue to play, but I expect some regression in the power and average departments. A 20 homer, 30 steal,s and .275 average will still be extremely useful but a repeat is quite unlikely. For grins, Mullins would only have 16 homers if he played all his games in Kaufmann Stadium (yes, cherry-picked example).
OF #2 – Tyler O’Neill (80-29-70-13-.279)
We just discussed Tyler O’Neill last week and the reality of his breakou. Friday night, he hit home runs number 30 and 31 as he pushes the Cardinals to the brink of the playoffs. A unique combination of power and speed drove his fantasy value while maintaining of a reasonable batting average limiting any negative impact on our 5×5 categories.
This spring, O’Neill was coming off the board right outside of the top 100 outfielders and could be pulled off the waiver wire in most leagues. Sandwiched between Amed Rosario and Corey Dickerson, he more than returned his value and his last two weeks have been a boon to our playoff lineups with 37 R+RBI on the back of 6 longballs. If I was to pick one of these players for next year to invest in, it very well may be Mr. Tyler O’Neill.
OF #3 – Hunter Renfroe (86-28-91-1-.262)
I am not going to lie; I was swayed to ignore Renfroe in drafts this season based on the real world transaction with him signing in Boston. Seeing him in relatively low demand pushed him out of sight and out of mind. The draft boards in March were no different as he stayed on the board well after the top outfielders checking in at OF #106. However, Renfroe did very little different in his first season in Boston than he did for years in San Diego. The difference? He simply had a stronger lineup around him to boost his counting statistics significantly and improved his patience at the plate with the lowest strikeout rate of his career. This performance seems quite repeatable in 2022 depending on where he lands this offseason.
Honorable Mention:
These three are top on my list of outfield MVPs, but there are many more qualified players that will not fit into the starting lineup. The following group won championships for many owners and will be the envy of managers for years to come on cheap contracts in keeper leagues.
Mitch Haniger, Robbie Grossman, Avisail Garcia, Adam Duvall
