[brid video=”195678″ player=”10951″ title=”Top 20 Outfielders for 2018 Fantasy Baseball”]
In an incredible turn of events, I’ve done all the infield 2018 fantasy baseball rankings. Less incredible, you’ve read them. It’s like that time your favorite team won because they played better than that other team but you convinced yourself they won because you cheered loudly. When I win the Fantasy Baseball Blogger of the Millennial in 2099, and my frozen head is accepting the award, I’m going to thank you, the readers, but I’m secretly going to be thanking myself. Without me, none of this would be possible. You’re a close second though! Okay, enough ranking you and me, let’s rank some outfielders! Last year, there was one outfielder I said I didn’t want in the top 20, Carlos Gonzalez. This year, well, let’s save it for the post! All my projections are listed by the players and where I see tiers starting and stopping. Anyway, here’s the top 20 outfielders for 2018 fantasy baseball:
1. Mike Trout – Went over him in the top 10 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
2. Bryce Harper – Went over him in the top 10 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
3. Mookie Betts – Went over him in the top 10 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
4. Giancarlo Stanton – Went over him in the top 10 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
5. Kris Bryant – Went over him in the top 10 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
6. J.D. Martinez – Went over him in the top 20 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
7. George Springer – Went over him in the top 20 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
8. Cody Bellinger – Went over him in the top 20 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
9. Charlie Blackmon – Went over him in the top 20 for 2018 fantasy baseball.
10. Aaron Judge – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until here. I call this tier, “Went over him in the top 20 for 2018 fantasy baseball (almost).” Every position has a few guys that I almost ranked in the top 20 overall, but the outfielders only have one guy. Don’t get me wrong, I like a ton of outfielders later on, but Judge is the only one of the next 120+ names that I almost ranked in the top 20. From what I see of early ADP, I’m not alone. This is the cut-off for the top outfielders. Aside from Buxton totally breaking out or Marte returning to form, I don’t even see a possible argument for the next ten names being a top 20 overall player. I mean, Sunday Santana just had what is likely a career year and he ranked 43rd for fantasy value on our Player Rater. As for Judge, I’m debating writing a schmohawk post for him. I know, blasphemy. You know what everyone expected from him last year at this time? A 35-homer, .220 season. That sounds ludicrous now, right? Well, it shouldn’t, after he hit 22 homers and .228 in the 2nd half last year. This is you, “Buh-buh-buh-buh-BUH-BUH-BBBBBBBBUUUUUT!!! He was injured, Aaron Judge is the truth.” In the 1st half last year, he had a .426 BABIP. I know, he hits everything hard, but c’mon. He’s not a .400+ BABIP guy. No one is. In the 2nd half, his BABIP dropped to .266 and shizz went pear-shaped. I’m conflicted, because I do like Judge, but I think the dreaded sophomore slump is coming, and I don’t see myself owning Judge. 2018 Projections: 104/40/94/.244/7 in 511 ABs
11. Marcell Ozuna – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Upton. I call this tier, “Happy December 26th Eve.” The tier name is what Jews call Christmas. You still get a day off, and, if you weren’t so neurotic and encompassed with schadenfreude, you’d enjoy that most of the world is having a good time, but it’s still not as great as getting swamped in presents. This tier is fine, it’s a day off, but you’re not celebrating anything after you draft one of these guys, i.e., who was your first outfielder? You have one already, right? You don’t? Well, you should. As for Ozuna, I already went over him when he was traded, here’s what I said, “Marcell Ozuna was traded to the Cards, because the Marlins only had him under control until the end of 2019, and the Marlins are playing for 2022. Then, in 2023, the Marlins will be playing for 2042. Seriously, what the eff are the Marlins doing? I understand trying to get younger, but they’re trading guys who are young. It’s not like they’re moving Martin Prado. Maybe having a guy who discarded women when they reached the age of 22 isn’t the best idea to run a club. Jeter continues to view 27-year-olds as ancient. Hey, Jeter, you’re not unloading Minka Kelly here, you’re unloading Jessica Biel. With the extra Wild Card, I’ll never understand slashing an entire team. Before the selling spree, the Marlins were literally two players away from a Wild Card berth. Now, they’re five years away. Madness, man, madness. Any hoo! Marcell Ozuna averaged 413 feet on his home runs last year, because OZUNA strong. If you overlay his home runs last year with his new park, he keeps his 37 homers and gains an extra one. It’s more or less a push in the Busch. OZUNA love Busch, it is OZUNA favorite type of hedge, much better hedge than poison ivy.” And that’s me quoting me! 2018 Projections: 101/35/106/.278/1 in 607 ABs
12. Starling Marte – After he returned from his suspension, he picked up right where he left off, like he was frozen in time. Maybe he was just holding still like a flat LaCroix, or like an end of a Police Squad episode. Either way, like we’ve seen with Dee Gordon, and a bunch of other players who I’m blanking on, a PEDs suspension doesn’t really stop a player from being essentially the same player on return. Which might have you asking, why do the PEDS at all if they’re the same after returning? Well, I have another question for you, what if they’re still doing PEDs, but they just get smarter about avoiding detection? Like CC would say, things that make you go hmm… 2018 Projections: 88/15/61/.272/32 in 551 ABs
13. Andrew Benintendi – Reminds me a bit of Alex Bregman, and they’re currently going in the same round in drafts, sometimes back-to-back like Jennifer Connelly in Requiem for a Dream. Benintendi stole twenty bags last year, and like Bregman, I could see him stealing anywhere from three bags to 25 bags. Also like Bregman, I could see Benintendi hitting a few more homers this year after he hit twenty. Let’s just call Alex Bregman and Benintendi, Anex Beninman. Can’t find a Beninman! 2018 Projections: 90/22/81/.282/14 in 566 ABs
14. Justin Upton – Steamer projections for Upton are 79/29/87/.247/11 in 538 ABs. Okay, I think that’s conservative, but I tell you those numbers so you get an idea of how uninspiring he could be if things don’t break right. He was productive for five of six months last year, and the 2nd half the year before, so he’s had a solid eight of his last nine months. With this ranking, I’m expecting four of this year’s six months to be solid, then eight months turns to twelve, it’s quarter past three and we drive at ten and two. So Upton’s gotta be good, right? 2018 Projections: 93/31/108/.252/10 in 561 ABs
15. Rhys Hoskins – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until the top 40 outfielders for 2018 fantasy baseball. I call this tier, “Hopsin.” By the tier name I mean, I started listening to Hopsin’s latest album. At first, I was like, “Cool, you beat your girlfriend and abandoned your kid in Australia.” Then after a 2nd listen I was like, “Okay, I get it, your “ho” was looking for dollars. But, c’mon, man, that’s not very woke.” By my fifth listen, I was like, “Yo, let this guy see his kid! Ugh, I’m so tired of all the problems you’ve been causin’ me (ha—ha—ha)…We are not cool no mo’ as far as I can see… I’ve fallen! I’m crawlin’!” So, each one of these guys grew on me the further I dug into them. As for Hoskins, went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball.
16. Byron Buxton – He had a 16/29/.253 season last year. If he hit leadoff, and accumulated 100 runs, or hit third and racked up 100 RBIs, we’d prolly not even be able to draft him this late. Then again, he was unusable for an entire half for the 2nd year in a row. Then again again, he still had a great season! I think it might be a bit bizzonkers that I have Buxton ranked this high, but the more I looked at him and what he could do, I was all-in like Stu Ungar at the final table in the World Series of Poker in heaven. He’s about a 14% HR/FB with a 40% FB rate, not many oppo dong-balls but still good for around 19.9 HRs. What’s that, 19 homers and a 576 foot out made by Aaron Judge diving into the stands, running 25 feet and reaching up his 18 foot arm? Meh, let’s give him 20 homers. Next, his steals. Have you seen homeboy run? Doode’s fast like a jaguar spotting a provocatively dressed sheep. Next, his average. Usually, average doesn’t mean squat, but here is my big concern for Buxton. Luckily, there’s some optimism. He hit .300 in the 2nd half last year with a 27.6% strikeout rate. That cut his Ks by three percentage points from the 1st half. He was luckier than a leprechaun who’s sprouting four-leaf clovers out of his ears with a .378 BABIP. Gonna sound hemmy-and-hawy but if Buxton can start hot, have confidence early, he could hit .275 on the year. More than likely, he’s gonna hit some droughts that would make Hollis Mulwray blush, and hit around .245. With the power and speed though? I’m in. 2018 Projections: 76/20/84/.242/33 in 502 ABs
17. Chris Taylor – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2018 fantasy baseball.
18. Yasiel Puig – I fell in love with Pweeg this past postseason. By the way, I got comments that I’m a Dodgers’ homer when I published my Shohei Ohtani fantasy. Okay, but I don’t like Justin Gingerlake, Kershaw, and I hate Seager, so wrong. I’m not a Dodgers homer. I’m a straight-up fantasy baseball head. I don’t have a favorite team. I just think it’s super stupid — supid? — that the Orange County Angels call themselves Los Angeles. I’m an LA snob, not a Dodgers one. Any hoo! I fell in love with Pweeg, because of how much old, stodgy white guys hated him for licking his bat and just acting a fool. We need more players acting a fool in baseball. What gets shared during football season? End zone dances. What is a prevailing baseball attitude with home runs? Place your bat down and respectfully round the bases. Eff that. Show personality! Throw your bat in the air and do the Cha Cha Slide like Joey Fatone on Dancing With The Stars! Baseball is okay with 156 MPH foul balls killing fans, but not okay with home run celebrations? Oh. *drives cross country* Kay. That’s why I like Pweeg. Any hoo, Part II: Welcome to Anyhoo-ville, Puig went 28/15/.263 last year, and moved his walk rate and K-rate the right way. I think we’re about to get that full-on breakout; now let’s see some Pweeg’s fly. 2018 Projections: 80/31/94/.284/13 in 519 ABs
19. Khris Davis – Am I scared the bottom is gonna drop out at any moment for him? Like I’m in an elevator with a frayed cable? By the way, what do you call a scared wire? A frayed cable. Take it, Highlights! It’s yours! My hope, right before world peace on my list of hopes, is we get one more 40+ HR, .250 season from Davis. If he does that, what’s the difference between him and Aaron Judge? Four rounds and a striking similarity to Giancarlo. 2018 Projections: 86/41/106/.245/3 in 551 ABs
20. Christian Yelich – Remember that episode of the Twilight Zone with Burgess Meredith when he finally gets peace and quiet to read, because he’s the only person left in the world, but then in a horrible twist, Burgess Meredith breaks his glasses? Well, if Yelich breaks his glasses, he’s screwed because the whole team left him. For a slightly less dated reference, but still dated, Yelich has one friend left, a volleyball named Wilson. UPDATE: Yelich was traded to the Brewers and now Starlin Castro is Burgess Meredith in the above example. Jeter is still Wilson. Yelich goes to a much better park, lineup, city as long as he doesn’t hang out with Steven Avery’s family, and a sausage racers’ mecca. Only drawback is he can no longer dry hump his luggage tag and say, “Oh, Mia, you like that.” That was kinda weird anyway. I’ve upped his projections and ranking with this trade. 2018 Projections: 105/19/67/.291/17 in 581 ABs
