As they say in conductor school, hey, Maestro, let’s keep this train going! Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’, is what we doing, as they say in Snoop Dogg’s hooptie. Here’s the top 60 outfielders, which I bet you could’ve guessed from the title, unless you’re in that hooptie. The 2024 fantasy baseball rankings are there.
Subscriptions are up and running — thanks, Rudy! — and you can already get Rudy’s Draft War Room. Anyway, here’s the top 60 outfielders for 2024 fantasy baseball:
NOTE: All my rankings are currently available on Patreon for the price of a Starbucks coffee, if you get one of those extra grande frappuccino jobbers. Don’t wait for the rankings to come out over the next month, and get them all now.
NOTE II: Free agents are listed as just that and not yet projected. Once a guy signs, I will write out their blurb and add in projections, or remove them, if they sign in an unfavorable place. They are ranked currently where I think they might be if they sign on for a full-time job.
NOTE III: BDon and I discuss each and every outfielder:
GO BACK TO THE TOP 40 OUTFIELDERS
41. Ian Happ – This tier started in the top 40 outfielders for 2024 fantasy baseball. This tier ends at Nimmo. I called this tier, “Aight but not aight aight and definitely not aight aight aight.”
As for Happ, I have a nagging thought I have to say so I get it out and then we can move on: With David Ross gone from the Cubs, Happ can’t rely on being penciled into the three hole all year while sucking and might have to actually produce to get good lineup placement. Imagine Counsell actually watches the games and doesn’t wear eyeglasses with drawn-on open eyes like Ross. Happ is so screwed! Unless Happ gets traded to the Yankees, because Aaron Boone would let Happ hit cleanup, behind Judge, for 600 at-bats. Either way, Happ’s likely just aight. 2024 Projections: 74/20/78/.254/15 in 534 ABs
42. Steven Kwan – There might not be a more aight player who is not aight aight or aight aight aight. Kwan could wake up on Opening Day, go out and have an aight season without any prep. He’s Mr. Aight. Is he great? No, you are not following. He is not great. He’s aight! He’s so just aight, he gets a lot of his value from staying healthy and hitting leadoff. Lots of runs? That’s aight! Lots of power? No, that’s aight aight! He’s got aight speed too. Is he great at average? Should be and that’s just another aight category. 2024 Projections: 96/5/51/.286/22 in 613 ABs
43. Brandon Nimmo – If this tier is not boring you to pieces, you’re able to hold together your twigs and berries better than yours truly. I’m sorry, safe third outfielders for deep leagues have a place in drafts. Do I want this tier in shallower leagues? Prolly not. That goes back to what I said in previous rankings posts. There’s no way to rank for every league, which is why why have rankings for a whole assortment of leagues — this is 12-team rankings, but you can see menu at top of page there for 20-ish types of rankings we have. My rankings are for 10 through 15 team mixed leagues. I write blurbs and project everyone, so you can get a feel of my thoughts for other leagues, but if you’re in, say, a daily, 10-teamer, would I really draft Nimmo above Wyatt Langford? No. Will Nimmo more than likely be worth more than Langford? Yes. But in a daily shallow league, you can just work waivers. In a deeper leagues, you need a guy like Nimmo, but, even as I say that, you could make the case, you have three safe outfielders in your 15-teamer and want to go upside with Langford over Nimmo and I wouldn’t fight it. That’s another point about rankings, your team’s needs takes precedence over all of this. As for Nimmo, he’s so boring and just aight that he has 15 steal speed, and everyone steals 15 bags now, and he still only steals three bases. Dubya tee eff, Nimmo, which is also the R-rated horror film Finding Nimmo, when that enters public domain in 75 years. 2024 Projections: 101/20/63/.269/3 in 582 ABs
44.Tyler O’Neill – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until Eloy. I call this tier, “The season is Lucy.” This tier is huge and filled with interesting names. Some just need health, some just need to play every day and accumulate more runs and RBIs. All of them have had moments in the past where they’ve appeared to me, big, ready to soar, like a football I could kick through uprights, then the season, let’s call it, Lucy, came along and pulled away the upside at the last moment.
As for O’Neill, here’s what I said this offseason, “Tyler O’Neill getting traded is the Farrah Fawcett passing of MLB news since it was happening during the Ohtani frenzy of free agency, which is odd since her former partner passed away the same day O’Neill was traded and they share the same last name, but spelled different. RIP Ryan O’Neal. I had one interaction with Farrah and Ryan and they were both lovely. Any hoo! Tyler O’Neill’s free! He’s free! Sure, he might be a Charlie Brown football kicking, but he also might be great and he’s going late enough (assuming the trade doesn’t drive up his price too much) and stop me if you’ve heard this before–Fine! I get it, he’s burned us once, twice, three times, [yelling like Jerry Lewis] LADY! Yet, it’s still worth the flyer. I’m sorry. he’s talented. I can’t help it if the Cards’ manager, Oli Marmol, held O’Neill’s cat up by the scruff of its neck, threatening it, every time O’Neill stepped in the batter’s box. Gonna be so cool when Randy Arozarena, Adolis Garcia and Tyler O’Neill are the American League’s All-Star outfield. Do I have any real hope for O’Neill? Yes, absolutely. The Green Monster can add 20 points in average and he can hit out of any park.” And that’s me quoting me! 2024 Projections: 74/27/77/.246/7 in 466 ABs
45. Daulton Varsho – Charlie Brown peering down at a football labeled “20/20” and he lowers his head, ready to kick with all his might. He runs towards it and SWOOSH. Instead, he hits .22o. Varsho reminds me a poor man’s Mullins. Call him Daulton Ponderins. Much like Mullins, Ponderins hits way too many weak eh-eff fly balls, which kills his BABIP, so, even though he’s fast, it’s irrelevant. Rarely do you hear me say this, but Mullins and Ponderins could use more ground balls. 2024 Projections: 72/23/74/.226/16 in 518 ABs
46. Chas McCormick – Joe Espada, the Astros’ new manager, takes over for Dusty Baker, who changed his toothpick more than his lineup. How will Espada manage? I don’t have a clue. He’s been bench coach for years under Dusty, so. Dot dot dot. He’ll have a barrel of toothpicks and Bill Cosby on speed dial? Maybe, I don’t know. This matters here because Chas could platoon. In what way since he’s a righty? I don’t know, but he never played a full season before, so it’s all kinda in flux. I would play him every day. As just mentioned, I am not the Astros manager. He had a nice breakout season last year, but it was fueled by a high HR/FB% and an inability to hit anything, except fastballs. 2024 Projections: 54/15/61/.249/17 in 446 ABs
47. Kerry Carpenter – Occasionally in this rankings, I’ll immediately think, “This player is going to rank high for me!” Then I look at their platoon splits, their projections and their stats and think, “So, this player is a lot less interesting than I thought!” That was Kerry Carpenter. His numbers look kinda fine. Not a huge difference between him and, say, Nimmo, but he’s going to miss 100 to 120 at-bats, and that costs him some. For what it’s Cronenworth, I had Carpenter ranked higher initially, and Charlie Brown’d the football on myself and moved him down. 2024 Projections: 64/24/72/.264/5 in 464 ABs
48. MJ Melendez – Already went over him in the catcher rankings.
49. Starling Marte – I keep saying that expecting less steals from a player is a fool’s errand, but, I don’t know, maybe, like Charlie Brown at Modell’s shopping for new footballs, I’m a fool on an errand. I see Starling being projected for 30+ steals in 138 games, and I think that might be a wee bit high, and as Wee Man shows, nothing wee is high. Also, Starling has the classic signs of aging: Falling BABIP, HR/FB%, and Hard Contact%. Anyone who’s ever watched a 35-year-old, former speedster hit ground balls to 2nd and get thrown out by a half step knows, it’s not the best place to find fantasy value. 2024 Projections: 62/8/66/.241/25 in 466 ABs
50. Christopher Morel – Already went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
51. Luis Rengifo – Already went over him in the 2nd basemen rankings.
52. Ezequiel Duran – Already went over him in the shortstops rankings.
53. Kris Bryant – Already went over him in the 1st basemen rankings.
54. Lars Nootbaar – “Snap into a Slim Jim!” “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t!” “If you get occasion diarrhea from Nootbaars, then Lars can teach you lessons about life being a serious of crapshoots.” These are all very famous advertising slogans. Lars is known in Canada by the name, the Druthers Bar. Allow me to explain: This tier could also be named, “If I had my druthers and knew what druthers were, I’d start these guys for 162 games or until their wheels fell off, but I don’t manage these teams.” So, sadly, Lars is in the U.S. of A and not Canada and is not the Druthers bar, but instead a very low bar of speed and power that he can’t seem to hurdle. UPDATE: Dealing with rib fractures. 2024 Projections: 71/15/74/.266/12 in 447 ABs
55. Taylor Ward – Somehow the Angels always manage to get all of the guys who prorate well. Reid Detmers? Oh, just let me prorate that for you! Jo Adell? Oh heck yeah! Rengifo? Don’t mind-ifo! Taylor Ward? Oh Jesus, how many times do we have to do this? His peripherals look so enticing! I get it! I want to like him and will likely draft him because why not? But he’s 30 years old and has exactly zero full seasons of being productive under his belt. Speaking of which, Brandon Belt has more productive seasons and is barely a blip anywhere and Ward is a top 60 outfielder? I’m as guilty as anyone too! I know! Just let me line up behind that ball and give it a kicking, Lucy! C’mon! 2024 Projections: 68/20/66/.271/6 in 471 ABs
56. Eloy Jimenez – He’s setting up to make a stunning kick. People are on their feet. Their breath held. A pin could be heard. Then, Lucy, wearing a shirt that reads, “April 8th,” snatches back the football and Eloy pulls his quad, groin and oblique all in one full swoosh. The case that Eloy would be good if he played too? Tell that to the people who rostered him last year for 120 games and 18 HRs. 2024 Projections: 64/22/71/.277 in 467 ABs
57. Leody Taveras – This is a new tier. This tier goes from here until the top 80 outfielders for 2024 fantasy baseball. I call this tier, “Let’s have some un!” It’s not let’s have some fun, because these guys are all risky and no guarantee for fun, but they have me excited, nevertheless, and I’m hoping for fun. More than likely, you’re just drafting the “thought” of fun. But, you’re late, and why not draft some upside? I.e., let’s have some un!
As for Taveras, even though he just played a full season with the pitch clock rules, I look at his 14 steals last year, and think, “He can steal 25.” Why didn’t he just steal 25? I don’t know, homey. But my gut is saying he can steal 25. Leody to the moon! Which is also what someone in the Heaven’s Gate cult might’ve said. He’s also not a zero in power. Random prediction that is not based in fact! Leody goes 20/30 out of nowhere and becomes a top 20 outfielder. Reality? Prolly 12/15/.250. Leave reality out of this! Which is what someone named Leody in the Heaven’s Gate cult might’ve said too. 2024 Projections: 61/20/67/.269/17 in 523 ABs
58. Jung Hoo Lee – Here’s what I said this offseason, “Giants signed him, and I need to try to be positive here, because I have been accused of being a Giants hater. A man of my stature, hating on the Big Guys? The guys who give me shade? The men who get stuff down off shelves for me? Blasphemy! Giants accounted for my favorite Andre. So, Jung Hoo Lee only played 86 games last year, because of a broken ankle, which is fine. Hoo Lee’s power? Hoo boy. He might struggle to hit ten homers in the majors. If it came with 20+ steals, then it would be easier to swallow, but he’s never shown anywhere close to that sorta desire to run. The big, shiny tool here is the average. Welcome to the states, Jung Hoo Lee, your 23 And Me profile says you’re 98% Luis Arraez. That he walked more than he struck out in the KBO is impressive. That eye of his shouldn’t just disappear. As if it’s not clear, I’m not excited to draft him in every league, but he’ll have his time and place on fantasy teams that need an average boost.” And that’s me quoting me! 2024 Projections: 81/8/49/.307/12 in 531 ABs
59. Jack Suwinski – You say, “More like Snoozinski! And now I just jacked Jack for his pride! Take that, Suwinski! Never before has a fantasy baseball blog reader done such damage to a major league player–Hold on a second, I have to move thirty three dollars from my Paypal to my bank account to cover my subscription to MLB Network.” I say, why such hate? He was a top 40 outfielder last year. This is actually a bargain, if you can get him here. For full disclosure, I nearly ranked him in the previous outfielder rankings post. Then briefly had him in the next one. Hard to full trust a Pirates player to breakout and continue to be good. But if you like, say, Chas McCormick, why not get more power from Suwinski with a small trade off of some steals and average? You again, “Snoozinski! I showed that Suwinski character! Okay, I need to take an antacid if we’re having noodles with ketchup tonight.” 2024 Projections: 64/27/77/.212/10 in 466 ABs
60. Sal Frelick – Already gave you my Sal Frelick sleeper. It was written while riding a moped behind a large man. 2024 Projections: 88/16/70/.283/32 in 587 ABs
CONTINUE ON TO THE TOP 80 OUTFIELDERS
