Even if you draft one or two outfielders in the top 100 (which you should), you’ll still need to identify some late bargains. The top 20, 40, 60 and 80 outfielders for 2010 fantasy baseball can be found under the 2010 fantasy baseball rankings. This is by no means all the outfielders I’d draft for one of my teams. This is a list of guys that will go late and could provide some healthy returns. Where applicable, click on the player’s name to read more about them and to see their 2010 projections. Anyway, here’s some outfielders to target for 2010 fantasy baseball:
Jay Bruce – Bruce is actually a good case study for someone who wants to see how long it takes a player to go from being a hyped rookie to actually producing. Bruce burst on the scene in 2008, then bust on the scene in 2009 and now can actually start producing.
Nolan Reimold – If Reimold takes the Bruce route, it might not be until 2011 for Reimold. But, like the secret Secret Recipe, Reimold has more seasoning. (I’m a fried chicken conspiracy nut!)
Corey Hart – Hart isn’t a slam dunk by any stretch, but, if he can stay healthy, he’s a good bet for 20/20.
Dexter Fowler – I’m going to ignore that Baseball Prospectus’s most comparable player for Fowler is Paul Householder because even before the subprime mortgage crisis let Paul down, he was not a household name. (See what I did there? That shizz was like butterflies in your ears!) Here’s my limb: in 2011, Dexter’s going to be a top 20 outfielder.
Colby Rasmus – Rasmus ties together any outfield you’ve drafted like a Tony LaRussa scarf ties together a fur coat and a polyester shirt.
Travis Snider – Cheap homers late with the chance for cheap lots of homers. And he has the same neck as this guy.
Jason Heyward – Caveats: rookies usually crash and burn; it’s probably a year too early for Heyward. Caveats aside, my man can hit! Ride that donkey-donkey!
Austin Jackson – If his name were Joe Smith, no one would know who he was. He has a shot to be the leadoff hitter and every day player. Jordan Schafer had that shot last year for the Braves, too. Doesn’t mean everything, but Jackson’s worth the flier.
Kyle Blanks – As long as the Padres don’t fly Southwest Airlines, Blanks should near 30 homers.
Julio Borbon – I know saying this is kinda like yelling fire in a crowded theater, but I think Borbon is Ellsbury 20 rounds later. Zoinks!
Brett Gardner – Rudy has Gardner at 75/4/38/.266/36 in 440 ABs. He concedes that he thinks the ABs might be bullish and the average could be worse. The runs also seem like they’re on the high side in that projection. But notice one stat we’re not tempering — steals. (“No Tempering” sounds like an unreleased TLC song.) Gardner’s a $4 player with $21 of it in stolen base value. As in, he’d be worth -$17 in a mixed, 12 team leagues if he had no speed.
Cameron Maybin – If he can get healthy, he might get into the two hole. That always worked for Tom Cruise.
