Today, we go over the top 40 outfielders for 2014 fantasy baseball. Yesterday, we went over the top 20 outfielders for 2014 fantasy baseball. It will be a date which will live in…Well, it won’t live in infamy, so what’s the opposite of that? Famy? It will live in unfamy? That’s just ridiculous. What are you, the 7-Up guy? By the time you get to these outfielders, I’m sure you’ve drafted at least one outfielder. If you haven’t, wake from your slumber, Rip Van Schmucko, your draft is slipping away from you. There’s a lot of interesting names in this top 40. Jason Heyward is one interesting name. It was even more interesting when it was Jason “Future Superstar” Heyward. All of the 2014 fantasy baseball rankings are there. If you right click that and open it in a new tab, your car will get a free oil change (it won’t). Without further delay (there really wasn’t much delay, I mean, that was a short intro compared to most)… Anyway, here’s the top 40 outfielders for 2014 fantasy baseball:
21. Matt Holliday – This tier started in the top 20 outfielders for 2014 fantasy baseball. This tier ends at Werth. I called this tier, “They’re older and getting older. Weird how that works.” These guys are on the downward slope of their career. You could get a solid year from any of them or you might get a 60-day DL stint leaving you wondering if Craig Gentry is going to play on Sunday or if you should grab someone else. What does the fox say about Holliday? Okay, okay, okay, okay. What does the fox say about Holliday? Okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay. What does the fox say about Holliday? Okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay. 2014 Projections: 93/22/101/.292/5
22. Jayson Werth – Werth doesn’t disappoint if he’s healthy. That ‘if’ has an overweight Siamese twin and it drives a minivan where the passenger seat is removed so it can fit. Werth could give you 25+ homers and 15+ steals if he plays 150 games, but I’d count on closer to 120. 2014 Projections: 72/22/88/.279/10
23. Billy Hamilton – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Josh Hamilton. I call this tier, “Hi, Risk, say hello to your mother for me.” This whole tier might be filled with number one outfielders disguised as number two’s. More likely, a few will pan out and others will just pan. I already went over my Billy Hamilton fantasy. I wrote it while high on speed. 2014 Projections: 73/2/28/.250/67
24. Matt Kemp – Hard to be down on a guy that can go 40/40. Rihanna would disagree. Snap! The downside here is pretty awful and the upside looks a lot closer in the side view mirror. He seems a lot younger (will be 30 years old in September of 2014), and his health is questionable. In October, he had another surgery on his shoulder. I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see another lost season from Kemp. Shoulder issues aren’t good, says WebMD. I nearly dropped him further, but the potential for a 25-homer, 15-steal season is too great. You really need to weigh how much risk you’re willing to take on with Kemp. His risk outweighs the reward to a greater extent than you’re even thinking. 2014 Projections: 71/22/76/.266/10
25. Jason Heyward – Feels like he’s been around forever, right? He’s 24 years old. This is why…this is why…this is why he could be hot. Central casting is looking for a guy that could go into the first round next year? Central Casting should check out Heyward. He could be Kemp before Kemp got black widow’d. Heyward probably won’t, so don’t take this the wrong way, but he could hit 35 homers and steal 20 bases and be a top 3 outfielder. 2014 Projections: 83/19/69/.273/10
26. Yoenis Cespedes – Any of the guys in this tier could be top five at their position next year and I like that kind of risk. You could have an outfield of Kemp, Heyward, Cespedes this year and be overjoyed come August…Then again, I would’ve said that this time last year and your very expensive outfield would’ve been like a Jaguar that is in and out of the shop. Cespedes doesn’t have a huge sample size (that’s what she said!), but I think he’ll have a BABIP higher than his .274 in 2013, but it’ll take raising his 16.7% line drive rate. He’s dragging his heels there with guys like Russell Martin, J.J. Hardy and Trumbo. O.co isn’t exactly the place to hit a 45.6% fly ball rate. All of that is terrific for the Home Run Derby, but unless Joey Cora gets a deal to pitch for every Cespedes at-bat it’s not great for real baseball. I get the sense that he’s more of a .250 hitter than the .292 one he was in 2012, but it’s still hard to say for sure. 2014 will be an important year for figuring out exactly who Cespedes is, or Cespedis if you’re into portmanteaus. 2014 Projections: 70/25/85/.255/10
27. Josh Hamilton – For the first time in a while, people don’t want Josh Hamilton. Do I hear a buying opportunity? Last year, his season was a floating turd that wouldn’t flush….Or was it?! Damn you, reversal ellipsis! In the 2nd half last year, Hamilton hit .287 with 7 homers in 237 at-bats. Hardly the stuff of legends, but it’s not the end. Or fin as the French say or what the cheftestants on Top Chef call their fish restaurant. What happened to Top Chef? I can’t believe I used to love this show. Top Chef, your swish pans are making me nauseous, and Padma is a pretty face, stop giving her a say in anything. 2014 Projections: 78/24/89/.269/7
28. Mark Trumbo – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Hart. I call this tier, “They have outfield eligibility. Whoopie, play them at their other position.” I already went over my Mark Trumbo fantasy. I wrote it while learning the merengue. 2014 Projections: 74/33/89/.244/5
29. Michael Cuddyer – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2014 fantasy baseball.
30. Allen Craig – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2014 fantasy baseball.
31. Ben Zobrist – Went over him in the top 20 2nd basemen for 2014 fantasy baseball.
32. Brandon Moss – Went over him in the top 20 1st basemen for 2014 fantasy baseball.
33. Coco Crisp – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Aoki. I call this tier, “Different degrees of mostly speed and some power.” It’s all about the speed– No, it’s all about the power– No, it’s about the crust. Take a step back, baker, the butcher’s coming through! Coco was cuckoo for homers last year, eclipsing his next highest homer year by eleven dingers — hehe, I said dingers. No chance Crisp hits 20 homers again. He’s 34 years old and can’t stay healthy. I’m more concerned with whether or not he can he steal 25+ bases at such an advanced age (for baseball and video games). I think he can. 2014 Projections: 81/14/52/.265/27
34. Desmond Jennings – Desmond is my constant. Constant annoyance, that is. He so po’. That’s potential. That’s how I abbreviate potential. Don’t others? No? Cool. A pee poor line drive rate drags down his whole game. Until he can make better contact, he may never take the next step. From this tier, he does have the most upside. There’s a chance here for a 20/35 season. So many things have to go right for that to happen there are not enough computer screens in the world to explain. 2014 Projections: 78/16/64/.245/25
35. Shane Victorino – For about six years now, Shane Victorino has been the torchbearer for ‘mostly speed, some power’ guys. He sat Leonys Martin down in late-March of last year and told him he needed to hit more homers and steal more bases. He won’t answer calls from Denard Span until he hits ten homers. He ran over Chris Denorfia’s foot with a Vespa when Denorfia refused to steal 20 bases. Victorino’s been a role model for these guys, but now he’s moving towards a ceremonial position. An ex-president with nothing to do but sit on company boards and cut ribbons. This might be his final season of productivity. Hopefully he’s not a lame duck. 2014 Projections: 77/14/53/.269/24
36. Peter Bourjos – Already went over my Peter Bourjos fantasy. It was written on the shell of a tortoise. 2014 Projections: 74/12/58/.263/20
37. Norichika Aoki – When he went to the Royals, I said this, “Aoki was traded for Will Smith. Who did this deal? Jada Pinkett Smith? John Travolta because Will Smith’s such a friend of Scientology? Think this might’ve been the first time the Royals have been on the better side of a trade since the East India Company. This doesn’t help Aoki (doesn’t hurt him either) as much as it finally, mercifully, adverbially gets Alex Gordon out of the leadoff spot. Happy Bar Mitzvah, Royals, you are now a man of a team. Aoki doesn’t strike out at all, which will mean more RBIs for Gordon, Hosmer and Moobs (and, dare I say, Salvador Perez and Moustakas). All in all or whatever clunky sentence intro you have, a great deal for the Royals.” And that’s me quoting me! 2014 Projections: 92/10/53/.293/24
38. Alfonso Soriano – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until the top 60 outfielders for 2014 fantasy baseball. I call this tier, “Brace yourself for disappointment.” In 1975, Alfonso Soriano was playing his 3rd year in a Trinidadian league under the name, Alfonso Fonzarelli, when he impregnated a young woman by the name of Lupe. Lupe and the then-Alfonso Fonzarelli had a baby boy that they named after their father but, due to Trinidadian custom, the baby boy took his mother’s last name, Ribeiro. Yes, Alfonso Soriano is the father to Alfonso Ribeiro. That just illustrates how old Soriano is. Even at the tender age of 67, Soriano somehow continues to produce, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see his wheels come off. That’s the wheels on his walker. 2014 Projections: 72/26/91/.251/8
39. Domonic Brown – It didn’t surprise me that the Phillies were trying to trade away Brown this offseason. I don’t think we got a career year last year from Brown, it was a career five weeks. From May 2nd of last year until June 8th, he hit 16 homers, then 11 homers the other five months. He’s usually around a 10% HR/FB and last May he had a 42.9%. Barry Bonds shooting up ‘roids in the on-deck circle isn’t getting a 42.9%. If Brown would’ve held his career norm of 10% HR/FB, he would’ve had 14 homers last year. Brown is not a 27-homer guy going on 40 homers. He’s a 27-homer guy going on 19 homers. Because he’s right in the prime of his career and capable of ten steals, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but don’t be surprised to see Brown droppable in shallower leagues by June. 2014 Projections: 62/21/73/.255/10
40. Curtis Granderson – When he signed with the Mets, I wrote this, “Like Pedro Martinez so eloquently put (not eloquent at all), the Yankees were his daddy. Well, they’re also the Mets’ daddy. And the Mets have Girl With Daddy Issues Syndrome. They will never be the Yankees, so they sleep with any guy that will show them attention and then they clean up the guy’s bathroom the next morning without being asked. “I was building up the rings in my toilet bowl so I can tell how long I’ve been in this apartment.” That’s you being ungrateful. Grandy has an extremely small sample size (that’s what she said) in Metco, so it’s pretty inconsequential. His biggest issue of late is staying healthy and hitting above .240. I don’t see a huge correction coming for either of those, but I’ll assume he can stay on the field.” And that’s me quoting me! 2014 Projections: 76/28/86/.235/12
