Top 100 Outfielders For 2021 Fantasy Baseball: Oof Edition

Ohtani’s current value on the Razzball™ Player Rater is $49.6, which would make him the #1 OF. Why am I bringing this up? Because Joe Maddon the Mad Switcher has kept Ohtani in a few games after pitching as well as subbed him into key ABs during his rest days… which has led to him then rotating to RF. (He can play RF? You’re damn right!) In the NPB, he logged 60 games in the OF with a .990 fld%, translation: he’s pretty good at that too. All that to say, *points to the graphic below* he’s logged 4 game appearances so far there this season, meaning, he is 6 away from qualification in Yahoo and NFBC *eggplant emoji*. Rest assured, I’ll keep the countdown updated as we approach… Coronation Day!

After today's pinch-hit and substitution in RF, #Angels Shohei Ohtani is now 6 games away from OF position eligibility in NFBC! The countdown continues… #ohtanicountdown pic.twitter.com/JK6jVz58Dc

— Ohtani Stan Account (@CoolwhipRB) May 23, 2021

Enough pleasantries, let’s get down with the rundown.

The Ins

J.D. Martinez – Speaking of position eligibility, Just Dongs just got his OF position acquisition. Ding ding dong! He’s really good in case you haven’t noticed. 2020 was just that. He looks as good as before and has been a key contributor as part of a Sawx Stack on my RazzSlam team. Looking under the hood, all metrics look in line with his 2019 season. *chef’s kiss* Congrats to the rest of you that got him at a massive discount this season, I salute you. Which reminds me (uhoh Coolwhip is getting on the soapbox again), DHs can hit too, fam. In fact, they are such because of that, not in spite of that.

Adolis Garcia – tied for second with Ohtani in the league home run chase at 15. Last time, I said I wouldn’t be surprised if he cracked the top 40… ummm, yeah. He’s succeeded and exceeded those expectations. He’s currently batting .290 with 15 HR, 40 RBI, and 5 SB. Yowza, yet another specimen of an OF that the Cardinals let slip through their fingers. One thing I want to point out, the prospect scouting card says his hit tool is a 40 grade (out of 80) so he’s not likely to maintain the 290.  His power is the truth, no mirage there, but his contact skills may not be quite as advertised. Looking under the hood a bit he has a .316 BABIP which is reasonable for his track record (.305 at AAA), a 27.9% K-rate and 4.8% BB-rate… that sounds reasonable with profile, though his last stop a AAA his K-rate was north of 30%. And lastly, he’s currently sporting a 32.6% HR/FB rate on top of a 41.8% FB-rate. *John C. Reilly face* Now, Joey Gallo has 30.7% HR/FB from 2017-2019 with a 48% FB rate. Could he be Gallo? Sure, it’s possible. But Gallo has a .210 batting average over that span. Conclusion: he’s probably more of a .230-.240 hitter… which is okay! Because so far this season the MLB average is .237 (although you could sell high if you want to)… HAhaHAhaHAha… I need a drink.

Tyler Naquin – So I goofed. I dropped him in one league when Senzel came back because I was desperate at the time for outfielders playing daily. Well, surprise. Senzel back to the IL today. And even before now, Naquin has still been playing regularly and mostly productive. Additionally, over the last week+ he’s been hitting 3rd and 4th in the order, especially now that Bell moved Suarez to leadoff (I know goofy). His average has regressed over the last 2 weeks but there’s plenty of opportunity in the middle of the Reds lineup.

Kyle Schwarber – Joe Buck’s heartthrob seems to have found his stroke recently. Over the last 2 weeks, he’s been batting .294 with 5 HR and 12 RBIs, and 1 SB. *fire emoji* Looking at his contact metrics everything checks out highlighted by a 53.2% hard-hit rate. *double fire emoji*

Trey Mancini – You gotta love the story. He battled cancer for a season and is now mashing. Over the last 2 weeks he’s hitting .375 and now leads the league in RBIs with 41.

Brad Miller – It wouldn’t be an MLB season without a patented Brad Miller bender. Over the last week he’s batting .381 with 2 HR and 1 SB. It’s happening. Looking ahead, starting May 31st he begins a series @CIN, that could be very tasty.

The Outs

Mike Trout – IL with calf strain, 6-8 weeks. OOF. I am broken, hold me Ohtani!

Nick Senzel – Mentioned above, IL with knee surgery, 4-6 weeks. oof.

Marcell Ozuna – 6 weeks, oof.

Franmil Reyes – IL with oblique strain, 5-7 weeks. OOF.

Byron Buxton – having trouble decelerating in rehab, thus, delaying his return further. Oof.

George Springer – Not even accelerating yet. No running, No timetable. No rank.

AJ Pollock – Re-aggro’d the hammy last week and now headed for the IL. See, this is why you let the tank pull the boss.

Michael Conforto – IL with hammy strain.

Austin Hays – IL with hammy strain.

Jeff McNeil – IL with hammy strain.

Dylan Moore – IL with calf strain. Maybe he shouldn’t make ground beef by himself.

Victor Robles – IL with ankle sprain.

Trent Grisham – Foot Contusion.

Giancarlo Stanton – He’s been hitting pretty good like we all know he can; BUT, he’s been out with a quad strain like we all know he does. Yet, he is expected back Friday (knock on wood) so hopefully he can pick up where he left off.

Harrison Bader – Hairline fracture of rib. They are hopeful this will only keep him out the 10 days, but that’s also what the Dodgers thought about Bellinger’s hairline fracture with “no structural damage.” AND HE’S JUST NOW COMING BACK. I think.

Bryce Harper – To the IL with forearm contusion after struggling at the plate prior while Girardi “hid” the injury from the public. That’s terrific. He said it was because of competitive advantage… but how many of those games did you win? Yeah, exactly. Galaxy brain.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s all my brain could process at the time. This unholy carnage can be best summed up as:

The What-have-yous

Tyler O’Neill – Should be back this weekend to build on his breakout season of 8/4/.250… which reminds me, in 510 MLB ABs so far he has a line of 29/10/.233 which is more or less the pace he’s on this year. I’d like my regulars back please, kthx.

Alex Kirilloff – Came back last week and has collected plenty of hits but no home runs yet. I suspect we’ll see them soon enough as he’s been hitting as advertised so far after a quick adjustment to MLB earlier. The kid is special and we’ll continue to see more of that.

Cody Bellinger – Currently hitting bombs for the Dodgers… via AAA in OKC. You remember him right? Tall dude, killer swing, stares into the sun and hits a lot of bombs from the middle of the Dodgers lineup. Fun guy. Hopefully he’s back this weekend(?) Next week? I don’t know. Nobody is saying anything! I’d like him back, please. Me trying to figure out when Cody returns:

The ROS Board

If you want more Coolwhip to top off your baseball experience, fantasy or otherwise, you can follow me on Twitter: @CoolwhipRB.